OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- It’s been a tough season for Chipotle. The fast-casual darling is facing not only an ongoing E.coli outbreak that sickened 52 people in nine states and temporarily closed 43 units, but now it’s dealing with the news that more than 120 patrons of a store near the campus of Boston College were sickened by norovirus.
A supply-chain issue paired with a food-handling issue—it’s a double whammy food-safety nightmare.
Meanwhile, company officials believe fourth-quarter same-store sales could be down by as much as 11%—its first negative showing since going public in 2006. It also expects to pay upwards of $8 million on food-safety safeguards, enhanced testing and more in light of the crisis.
As the news on Chipotle’s outbreaks trickle in every hour, now’s the time for convenience-store operators to ensure their own food-safety processes are up to date and up to snuff. CSP Daily News spoke with Susan Algeo, vice president of training at Paster Training, Gilbertsville, Penn., on what she thinks operators should take away from the headlines.
1. Understand the price you pay with “fresh.” As the c-store industry continues to focus more on fresh foods—which can often mean raw or unprocessed foods such as produce, which is likely the case in Chipotle’s E.coli outbreak—the focus on food safety is all the more crucial. It will require more intense demands from the supply chain and store-level employees handling product.
2. Be cautious of all this consumer control … Among Chipotle’s many missions is to offer fresh products that are locally sourced—two hot topics among consumers with increasingly strident demands for their foodservice providers.
The risk? An operator jumping on a trend without a reputable supply chain to back it up. The same can be said about the drives toward allergen-free foods. The safety of the supply chain should come before any promises to the public.
“Consumers have so much control over what operators are putting in the operation and where they’re getting it from—good, they should. But also sometimes they might have too much,” said Algeo.
3. … but when crisis strikes, lean on them. When the E.coli outbreak first came to light, Chipotle immediately took action, shutting down stores and answering every consumer tweet with a request for any potential victims to contact the company immediately.
“Any time there’s an outbreak, be honest and [say]. ‘Let’s figure it out.’ The consumer is going to help you fix the problem too,” said Algeo who, at the time the outbreak first came to light, happened to be preparing a presentation on how consumers use social media to share knowledge of foodborne illness outbreaks.
“You don’t want that phone call that someone got sick, but at the same time you don’t not want that phone call. You need to know so you can fix it.”
4. Take your time. Proper food safety takes time—a tough pill to swallow for an industry that promises speed and convenience. Have an employee call in sick? Then time is definitely not on your side.
But it needs to be.
“It takes time to cook the food a little bit longer, to wash hands. When we have lines hopefully out the door, it takes time. People think that customers want it now and they do, but they also don’t want to get sick,” said Algeo.
5. You are very important. “Every day you’re saving someone’s life. Choosing to wash your hands is going to potentially keep that person out of the hospital,” said Algeo.
“You’re feeding people; you’re controlling their lives. We have to make sure we understand the importance of that.”
Click here for ongoing coverage of the Chipotle situation in CSP Daily News companion newsletter Restaurant Business Online.
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