Chipotle Plunges Again On Another Case Of Food-Borne Illness

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) plunged as much as 6.55 percent Tuesday on news that a Virginia restaurant closed following multiple reports of ill patrons.

"The reported symptoms are consistent with norovirus,” Jim Marsden, Chipotle’s executive director of food safety, said. “Norovirus does not come from our food supply, and it is safe to eat at Chipotle."

The firm closed the Sterling, Virginia, site Monday and has been working with health department officials to determine the cause of the isolated outbreak. It plans to reopen the location Tuesday.

News first surfaced on iwaspoisoned.com, where Sterling customers reported symptoms of dehydration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and severe stomach pain, with at least one instance resulting in hospitalization. Eight total reports testified to the illness of 13 customers who ate at the location between July 14 and July 15.

“This is the worst that I have ever seen,” read one report, which confirmed post-Chipotle symptoms lasting three days. “Severe food borne illnesses can cause long-term damage to the gastro-intestinal track. This was BAD!”

Related Link: Test Queso, Get Upgrade: Analyst Turns Bullish On Chipotle

This isn’t the first time Chipotle has investigated food-related illness. Last year, a diner ended up in urgent care, and two years ago, the company suffered an E. coli outbreak in 14 states. The stock tumbled each time.

At time of publication, shares were trading around $370, down 5.6 percent on the day.

Image credit: James Lee, Flickr