The Daily Meal asked the public what impact, if any, the six-foodborne-illness-outbreaks-in-six months has had on the number of times they dine at Chipotle.Dan Myers writes 450 people responded, and here are the results:
I’ve never eaten at Chipotle, and I’m not about to start now: 5.9%
I’ve cut back on dining there, but haven’t completely stopped: 6.8%
I held off during the outbreak, but will start eating there again now that it’s over: 13.8%
It didn’t affect my Chipotle addiction at all: 21.8%
I’ve stopped dining there completely: 46.5%
Nearly half of all respondents have sworn off Chipotle completely, while only a relatively small percentage is planning on returning at all! At the other end of the spectrum, however, more than 20 percent of respondents remained loyal throughout the outbreak, food poisoning risk be damned. These loyalists weren’t enough to fend off a major drop in sales, however.
Chipotle has spent millions of dollars trying to woo customers back, and will continue to spend more, and the chain is confident that this plan will work. But if nearly half of its customer base swears the chain off for good, can it ever really recover?