Federal Cases Against Chipotle

Chipotle ventured into a new territory when it was created, as it had an innovative vision for fast-casual restaurants. By using fresh and quality ingredients, Chipotle raised the bar in their segment. The service line where customers could see their order being prepared enhanced the experience of Chipotle. Consumers who were used to eating at fast-casual restaurants where the food was frozen and made out of sight were able to savor the uniqueness of Chipotle. These differences helped Chipotle become successful. However, as competitors copy the traits that make Chipotle unique, Chipotle must adapt and overcome in order to remain a profitable company.

The reputation of Taco Bell was threatened in 2011 when a lawsuit was filed against them based on the beef used in their food. A resident Amanda Obney of California complained that Taco Bell advertised and labeled their meat used in tacos as beef when it was not authentic meat but a filling (Caulfield, 2011). Amanda claims to have purchased food items from Taco Bell and as a result, suffered pain and injury due to the beef in their food. There was then a consumer rights action suit filed that challenged the practice of representing consumer with a product that is unknown or unidentifiable to consumers. Taco Bell was accused of referring to the filling as seasoned ground beef and seasoned beef when a substantial amount of the meat was against United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards.

Where and when did you observe the behaviors? Who made the observations? On 1/28/16, En-Lei observed inside of Chipotle. On 1/29/16 and 1/30/16, Matt observed across the street from Chipotle. On 2/1/16, Dana observed from a window across from Chipotle in the lobby of the Huntington Hall. On 2/2/16, John observed across the street from Chipotle. What behavior categories did you observe? How did you define each behavior category? We observed the outwardly happiness or unhappiness of individuals leaving Chipotle during lunch hours. We defined outwardly happiness as the smiling of each individual leaving Chipotle and unhappiness as the lack of a smile. When and how did you make observations? We used the frequency method of observation during lunchtime

Additionally, support for local and organic farming has shown a decrease in fast food sales. Recently fast food giant, Mcdonalds, has had to close nearly 700 restaurants due to lack of sales (Wahba). The general public is speaking out more and is stating they want fewer additives and more “real” food to be convenient. According to the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION “GMO’s or “Genetically Modifies Organisms” are organisms in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not naturally occur”. The actual effects of GMO’s in food have had extensive research done to confirm suspicions that they are hazardous to the human body and are not suitable for consumption. Chipotle was the first fast food chain to disclose any artificial ingredients

It turns out even Chipotle isn’t perfect. Seventeen Chipotle locations in Minnesota have been linked to a recent salmonella outbreak and are currently under investigation by the state’s health officials.

The following is an analysis on three different behaviors observed 5 different times for ten minutes. The behaviors observed were: frequency of getting a drink, phone usage, and talking. The purpose for choosing frequency of getting a drink was; you hear that Chipotle is always crazy busy, but how many customers actually buy drinks? The purpose for choosing phone usage was; how many opportunities for social interactions are missed due to the fact that everyone is glued to their phones? This sparked the curiosity of how long are people really on their phones during a certain time period. Lastly, is talking. With phone usage being a problem, how long are people actually engaging in social interactions with each other?

Cold steel tiling and off-kilter pop music overwhelmed the scene at which is I was presented with a moral dilemma. A man with a black t-shirt and hat asked the question that, to this day, I can’t find the perfect answer to: White or brown rice? How could I choose? One of my greatest moral dilemmas is deciding between getting rice that tastes better, or the rice that gives me a false sense of being nutritionally responsible. How could anyone be just a brown rice person or just a white rice person? Upon reflection on my experience at Chipotle, as well as many other “this or that” scenarios, I came to a conclusion: There are two types of people in the world: those who believe that a person can usually be categorized into one of two groups, and

Apparently consumers in California were just as dubious. In her class action lawsuit filed last week in federal court in San Francisco, lead plaintiff Colleen Gallagher of Piedmont, Calif., said that Chipotle deceived customers into paying more for their food and violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act with its false and misleading food labeling.

Working with the plaintiffs, we administered Juror Background Investigations and provided Jury Selection in this Sexual Harassment of a Minor case against Chipotle. After nearly two weeks of trial, the jurors awarded our clients $7.65 million.

Chipotle is facing numerous challenges due to the fact that E. coli outbreak which requires the corporation from the key stakeholders to keep it under control and apply the new food safety protocols which can aid to bring the regular customers back. Although the main cause remains a mystery, Chipotle’s E. coli outbreak has been authoritatively declared officially over by the experts. However, since the poisoning outbreak, the impact of the reduced number of customers affects the profit which the company used to enjoy before such eventuality (Scholes 27).

Chipotle has been given a subpoena, which is an order to attend court, because they’re under investigation for a norovirus incident at a Simi Valley restaurant. In a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, Chipotle is required to produce a “broad range of documents” related to the isolated incident in August. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S attorney’s office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the FDA. Chris Arnold, Chipotle spokesman, email that the franchise would cooperate fully in the investigation, but the company does not discuss pending legal actions as matter of policy. First the E.coli outbreak, now the norovirus, Chipotle is under a lot of fire as is loses over 30% of profits.

Steve Ells is the founder and CEO of Chipotle. Steve is a trained chef and opened his first Chipotle store in 1993 at a former Dolly Madison ice cream store in Denver, Colorado. His goal was to serve high quality, delicious food quickly and in a “fast-casual” setting (Ells).

Chipotle Mexican Grill is an American restaurant chain that currently has more than 1700 locations, with most of its locations in the U.S. and several in Canada and Europe. Chipotle has been gradually expanding its international presence since it opened its first location outside the U.S., in Toronto in 2008 (International Strategy, 2015). The restaurant now has 17 locations outside of the U.S. including locations in London, Paris, and Frankfurt. However, like all other international corporations, Chipotle strives to grow its business even further and extend global awareness of its brand. The next step in Chipotle’s global strategic plan would be to venture into new waters and enter Asia. Hence, Chipotle is now analyzing the decision of expanding operations into China.

This case study is about Chipotle, a young fast food company. In 2012, Chipotle has shown a successful performance with its Grills. Following the path, Chipotle is building a new project which is the ShopHouse. The ShopHouse predicated on much the same strategy with the Grill but it had

As of late 2015 and early 2016, Chipotle Mexican Grill faced a serious problem with food safety and received an ethical backlash because of it. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) along with state and local officials investigated two cases of E. coli O26 infection outbreaks from food served by Chipotle restaurants in several states