Chipotle Essay

Chipotles product line consists of four main categories. It offers burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla), and salads. The ingredients to Chipotle's burritos are made in advance and then the burrito is made by the customers preference to order. This is what differentiates Chipotle from the rest of the fast food chains. There is also a wide range of ingredients that go into the burrito such as chicken, beef, and pork , that are from animals raised without hormones or antibiotics. These ingredients are sauteed with special sauces that give Chipotle’s burritos a unique taste distinguishable to consumers from other burrito chains. Chipotle also offers seasoned pinto or black beans, and mild to hot sauce depending on the …show more content…
This was a huge setback for Chipotle and its loyal customers. Many did not want to purchase its products in fear that they would become infected with the virus. These turn of events caused a 15% decrease in Chipotle’s fourth quarter and the company's stock price was down 42%. Despite these challenges Chipotle had gained so much consumer loyalty that it was able to play catch up in an attempt to save the brands equity. In an interview with Campaign, Darren Tristano, president of Technomic, food industry consultancy, cited that "Our research indicates that in six months, most consumers forget about these food-poisoning issues that come up," he said. This allowed Chipotle to successfully overcome this threat to its brand equity. According to Jonathan Bernstein, a crisis PR expert, says that “Chipotle has built up so much good will with its branding efforts that it can withstand this major PR setback” The reason Chipotle could overcome this obstacle so well was because of the amount of goodwill it had produced before the incident with its customers. Customer loyalty plays a huge role in whether or not the company is able to get past outbreaks of illnesses in its