There were no reports of hemolytic uremic syndrome and no deaths. Twenty-one ill people were hospitalized.
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Multiple financial and investment publications speculated during the last weekend of January that the public and mainstream media had already forgotten about the E. coli outbreaks, which were the fifth and sixth foodborne illness outbreaks for the restaurant chain in the second half of 2015.
Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the company would not comment on the story, but will wait until the CDC releases an actual announcement.
A review of Chipotle’s distribution records by state and federal regulatory officials was unable to identify a single food item or ingredient that could explain illnesses in either outbreak.
Chipotle stock was up 4 percent on the news. UMB Bank raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. And in December, the CDC reported five more cases of E. coli the previous month linked to Chipotle, which it said might be part of a different outbreak. Chipotle is also undergoing a criminal investigation related to an August norovirus occurrence at a store in California. The stock surged 5% in midday trading Monday as investors hoped the company had put the worst behind it.
The firm said in the quarter ended in December, total visits to Chipotle were down 5% compared with a 19% traffic gain in the year-ago quarter, though the younger customers increased their visits to Chipotle by double-digit percentage points in 2015.
“Young adults represent the largest share of Chipotle’s overall traffic”, Bonnie Riggs, NPD Group’s restaurant industry analyst, said in a statement.
The meeting, happening on February 8, will not only discuss food-safety changes, but allow employees a chance to ask questions and “thank them for their hard work during this difficult time”, reports the Boston Herald. The company said it will share information about what it believes caused the outbreaks and what it’s doing to prevent more, and will thank workers for implementing new food safety procedures.
Other customers appear to have taken their business mostly to McDonald’s and Burger King, according to an NPD analysis.
Chipotle is expecting to woo back customers with stepped-up advertising and direct outreach to its most loyal customers.
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To win back customers, Chipotle plans deep discounts for the upcoming Super Bowl weekend.
