Introduction: When hearing the phrase “fresh food”, an individual may think of the very popular chain restaurants Subway and Panera Bread ; that is, if they are applying freshness to eating out. However, not only is Subway and Panera taking on the challenge of providing quality freshness to their overall menu, Chipotle Mexican Grill, commonly known as a fast casual restaurant, has also taken on the perspective title of “eating fresh.” Chipotle, for years provided quality service to their customers by staying true to their original five standards; a simple menu; high quality fresh ingredients; fast, personalized food; no franchises; and having committed employees. Even when hardship hit in 2015, when Chipotle had to close stores due to the
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By 2016, two-thousand-and-sixty-six Chipotle stores stood worldwide and continued to operate under Chipotles original business model. Although, a simple menu, fast, personalized food, committed employees, and no franchising has always been important aspects of the company, cooking with only high-quality fresh ingredients and supporting local suppliers has always been a stand out, long term investment of Chipotles. However, dating back to 2008, Chipotle has run into many problems with food safety concerns, as many of their customers reported food-borne illnesses that eventually traced back to the company. The company received much backlash from consumers and some even vowed not to eat at Chipotle’s again, even after finally building their reputation back up in 2016 by incorporating new food safety procedures to their daily in-store and suppliers …show more content…
The outbreak took place in New Jersey as many customers who ate at the restaurant were hospitalized. However, food officials told local media reporters that the illness may have been also linked to outside sources, stating that, “The department is investigating a possible association with a chain restaurant, but the association may be broader than a single chain restaurant. The department is in the process of gathering food history data from those who became ill” (News Desk, 2018). Chipotles suppliers are also thought to be the source of the contaminated products that caused the companies customers to fall ill. Chipotle frequently seeks local farms to buy their products from, as the companies officials believe in staying true to the local program and supporting community farmers. However, experts, during the investigation of Chipotle, stated that produce bought from smaller farms tend to be more vulnerable to food borne illnesses rather than those bought from large-scale suppliers that have the resources to check for harmful bacteria. (Walker and Merkley,
By 2016, two-thousand-and-sixty-six Chipotle stores stood worldwide and continued to operate under Chipotles original business model. Although, a simple menu, fast, personalized food, committed employees, and no franchising has always been important aspects of the company, cooking with only high-quality fresh ingredients and supporting local suppliers has always been a stand out, long term investment of Chipotles. However, dating back to 2008, Chipotle has run into many problems with food safety concerns, as many of their customers reported food-borne illnesses that eventually traced back to the company. The company received much backlash from consumers and some even vowed not to eat at Chipotle’s again, even after finally building their reputation back up in 2016 by incorporating new food safety procedures to their daily in-store and suppliers …show more content…
The outbreak took place in New Jersey as many customers who ate at the restaurant were hospitalized. However, food officials told local media reporters that the illness may have been also linked to outside sources, stating that, “The department is investigating a possible association with a chain restaurant, but the association may be broader than a single chain restaurant. The department is in the process of gathering food history data from those who became ill” (News Desk, 2018). Chipotles suppliers are also thought to be the source of the contaminated products that caused the companies customers to fall ill. Chipotle frequently seeks local farms to buy their products from, as the companies officials believe in staying true to the local program and supporting community farmers. However, experts, during the investigation of Chipotle, stated that produce bought from smaller farms tend to be more vulnerable to food borne illnesses rather than those bought from large-scale suppliers that have the resources to check for harmful bacteria. (Walker and Merkley,