Summary of Article:
Chipotle, a Denver-based Mexican Grill company, has struggled to get their influx of customers back up since last year's E. coli outbreak in their stores. They have taken a number of steps to rectify past mistakes, including new cooking techniques that will ensure meat is cooked and disease-free, and a change of lettuce-washing ingredients. Mark Crumpacker, head of Chipotle's marketing, has stressed to interviewers that the consumers are still scared of their product, despite efforts, thanks to the large amount of media criticism Chipotle received and continues to receive. Many customers just aren't sure of whether or not the food is safe, and this has been frustrating for Chipotle. The company has begun running advertisements focusing on the quality and care going into preparing the food, and the current ads in newspapers and online hone in on the safety precautions Chipotle has taken since the outbreak. Concern in the area of competition is mounting as well, as Chipotle's numbers are staying the same. It seems to be more of a widespread issue in the general industry, however; establishments like Starbucks and McDonalds have seen the same trend, and have blamed it so far on political instability and cheaper grocery costs.
Further information and Analysis:
Candice Choi wrote this article on Chipotle's efforts to draw disappointed customers back into their stores, in the aftermath of an E. coli out break in their restaurants. This is the second time she has written on the aftereffects the illness has had on the business revenue Chipotle has received since the breakout. The author's point of view is mostly analytical, though there are moments of skepticism, with lines like "This isn't the first time Chipotle has said it's sorry and stressed its commitment to food safety," and the pointing out Choi does in reference to the unfortunate wording of Chipotle's head marketing employee Mark Crumpacker, pitting two food businesses together ("More challenging will be winning back people who know the food is safe, but have started going to “places like McDonald’s” or what Crumpacker called 'knockoff' Chipotles.") I found this article online, on TIME Magazine's site. It was published September 21st, 2016, and Chipotle's E. coli outbreak was last year in the Fall. This effects the meaning of the article because a lot of time has passed since the incident, and the company is still dealing with the setbacks the worry of the public and media coverage had on their company's income. The title of this article is "Chipotle Has a New Plan to Convince Customers Its Food Is Safe". I had known that this happened with Chipotle last year, and had actually not eaten their much since then, in fear that there was still some trouble with the food (even though I am vegan, and don't order anything that has much risk of E. coli infestation). I did not go because the dread was present in my mind to this day, thinking of all the negative media coverage Chipotle got. My friends have since gone and eaten there, and that's interesting because the article mentions the worry of Chipotle's business heads, that one friend will stop a group of friends from going. Since I do not want to eat there often I can convince my friends to eat somewhere else! After reading this article, I have come to my senses a bit and may purchase more at Chipotle again. It is interesting how much media and other people can effect the economic choices of the consumer, and prevent them from buying through feedback of their own. Chipotle's supply cannot meet a demand that has gone! So their current efforts are targeted at those customers like me, who had taken their business to competitor companies (like McDonalds) and caused a huge loss in profit for their company. This article is directed at those customers, as a sort of reminder that they have since made efforts to ensure their product is clean and healthy, and care about the customer. This is tempting to those in a market economy because we have a desire for companies that will listen to our thoughts and meet our demands with the proper consideration. This article, therefore, was written for possible customers of Chipotle (their marketing head's reason for giving the interview), and for TIME magazine to cover current events and get more clicks on their news articles, and through this more revenue into their site. This document is relevant to the consumer's life because it opens up a closed door, to a business that was marked for demolition but has since improved itself; but also serves as a testament to the consumer voice, and the ongoing issue of a fear that corporations harm us by the genetically modified organisms going into our food. The article is trying to convey this idea in the most appealing way possible to the customer, but also in an analytical way coming from Choi's point of view, to confirm or deny whether a genuine effort is being put forward by Chipotle, or to potentially profile the company as greedy and hurt by their losses, frantically searching for any means possible to draw the customer back in.
Link to Article: http://time.com/4502592/chipotle-safe-food-ads/
