Troubled food chain Chipotle is closing all of its 1900 stores for a national staff food safety meeting on February 8th.
Chipotle said the meeting would provide an opportunity to thank employees, discuss changes and answer questions.
Chipotle (CMG) has suffered from several outbreaks of E. coli, Salmonella and norovirus that infected customers and led to an unrelenting stream of criticism and mockery on social media.
The chain’s problems began on August of 2015 when 64 customers in Minnesota were infected with Salmonella and about 100 people were struck by norovirus in southern California. There were multiple small outbreaks in different parts of the country, causing diners to abandon the franchise. The company’s stock slid down 42% to $428 a share from at high of $720. The outbreaks have cost the company between $14 and $16 million dollars.
CEO Steve Ells said earlier this week that he was “hopeful” the Centers for Disease Control would soon declare that the outbreaks were over.
“We know that Chipotle is as safe as it’s ever been before,” Ells said on Jan. 13 at a conference in Orlando.
He said Chipotle is planning to lure back customers with a new marketing campaign in February.
