Chipotle’s burger plan sparks flurry of cheeky E.coli comments
News that the beleaguered Mexican fast-food chain wants to diversify has brought out snarky humor on social media and news websites.
E.coli-laced lettuce, botulism burgers and a salmonella surprise are among the menu suggestions from people on the USA Today website.
After the newspaper reported Wednesday that “Chipotle Mexican Grill had applied for a trademark for ‘Better Burger’ as part of a business diversification move to open a burger restaurant chain,” the floodgates opened.
The Chipotle brand has yet to recover from last year’s E.coli and norovirus outbreaks that affected people in 11 states. The PR crisis was fueled by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s investigation and various state and local health agency probes.
In addition, federal authorities are leading a criminal investigation of a Chipotle restaurant in California. The negative publicity has sent the Denver-based company’s stock plunging as analysts, PR pros and consumers alike wonder whether the brand can recover.
Why would Chipotle want to venture into the already crowded hamburger market?
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