Following a string of E. Coli, norovirus and salmonella outbreaks in December, Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle has faced an uphill battle to improve its tarnished image as a purveyor of healthier-than-most-others food. The company has since revealed a brand new strategy for ensuring the health of its food and the safety of its customers. According to new reports, however, Chipotle will be taking these measures one step further with a company-wide meeting that will close every franchise in operation.
Company spokesperson Chris Arnold told the Chicago Tribune that the meeting would occur Tuesday, Feb. 8, and will require all staff to be present.
“We want to thank our teams for all of their hard work, to discuss some of the changes we are making to enhance food safety, to talk about the restaurants role in all of that and to answer questions from employees,” he said in an email.
While the closure will involve all Chipotle franchises, it won’t require every restaurant to close its doors for the entire day. Later on in the email, Arnold stressed that the safety meeting would only take a few hours of their employees’ time.
In addition to the focus on safety, the company will also “launch a marketing campaign in February to kick off its road to recovery after the food scares.” Combined with its previously announced measures and the hiring of a new food-safety expert, Chipotle hopes to quickly overcome the stigma that resulted from the many health cases levied against it last year.
(Via the Chicago Tribune and WDRB)
