Chipotle restaurants are struggling to recover from the brand's bad press but one chain on S Figueroa St. has figured out how to keep their customers loyal.

The restaurant chain is attempting to turn things around after last year more than 100 customers became ill as a result of eating at Chipotle restaurants. Chipotle eventually reached a financial settlement with the customers who’d become ill and consequentially the company’s revenue and stock prices have suffered.

The emphasis going forward for Chipotle management is to focus on the customer service of their chain restaurants. This shift in attention from fixing the health concerns to employee behavior is an attempt for Chipotle to get their revenue back to what it was before the health issues dominated the news.

The co-CEO of Chipotle, Steve Ells, recently commented that he believes his company’s customer service is slipping. Ells points to messy soda stations, dirty tables and slow-moving lines as the reasons for Chipotle’s slow recovery from their revenue decline after the E. coli outbreak last year.

According to Ells, Chipotle has rated roughly half of its 2,100 restaurants with a “C” grade for service. But don’t tell that to Hector Perez.

Perez is an employee at the Chipotle restaurant located on 3748 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007 and no longer sees the effects of the E. coli outbreak.

“For 3-4 months [after the health scare] there were less people eating here, then the turnouts started to return to normal” said Perez.

After the E. coli outbreaks that sickened customers in 11 different states Chipotle drastically altered their health practices to prevent further incidents. Perez recalls Chipotle management emphasizing the new health procedures and he now constantly checks their meat’s temperature with a thermometer.

Perez has worked at Chipotle for 2 years and considers his fellow employees his family. He enjoys his part-time job and the supportive work environment.

The regular customers at the Chipotle appreciate the friendly staff and cite that as a reason they keep coming back.

Colin Parker considers Chipotle one of his favorite restaurants and did not stop eating at the chain restaurant after the health scare. In fact, he goes to Chipotle so frequently that the employees know his name.

“The staff is so friendly; one time the cashier gave me a free meal because I come here so often” said Parker.

He also thought that the company handled the health issues well.

In an effort to help convince customers to return to Chipotle after the health issues, Chipotle began an aggressive marketing campaign that included giving out numerous coupons and free burritos.

Parker believes that it was not necessary to give out so many coupons in order to get customers back. However, the opportunity to eat more Chipotle for less money encouraged him to stay loyal to the brand.

During the E. coli outbreak, Chipotle sales dropped by as much as 30%, however this Chipotle restaurant is a bright spot and proof that the Chipotle restaurants can return to their previous levels of success. The friendliness of the staff at this Chipotle has convinced regulars to overlook the health incidents and focus on the positive reasons for eating at Chipotle.

Juan Gil Martinez is another Chipotle regular and was not deterred at all by the E. coli issues. He has never had a bad experience eating at Chipotle and was not worried about getting sick.

He has gone to the same Chipotle, located on S Figueroa St, every day for lunch for a year and believes the media made the Chipotle health issues a bigger story because of the brand’s popularity.

In 2015, the news breaking of Chipotle’s health issues dominated social media and initially appeared to have ruined Chipotle’s brand. The news of the food chain’s issues was constantly being reported on Twitter and Facebook. In addition to Chipotle’s heath issues they faced lawsuits that were filed by the customers that got sick, which dominated the headlines as well.

The mounting bad press resulted in Chipotle’s third quarter earnings to fall drastically compared to their previous year’s performance. Before the E. coli crisis, their third quarter earnings were $144.9 million but after the health issues the following year they were 7.8 million during that same time span in 2016.

However, Chipotle might be on the verge of the comeback the company desperately needs. According to LikeFolio, a company that analyzes social network data to find purchasing intent, predicts that Chipotle customers are no longer as affected by the bad press.

A recent report by Likefolio has determined that customers on social media are now focused on discussing how much they enjoy Chipotle burritos and are no longer discussing potential food sickness.

Tyler Pritchard is a Chipotle customer that was not bothered by the Chipotle health incidents and says he was only concerned with the quality of the food.

He considers Chipotle a healthy alternative to eating other fast food options. Pritchard plans on continuing to frequently eat at Chipotle and does not believe he will not change his mind, due to news reports. He appreciates that the food quality at the Chipotle on S Figueroa St has remained consistent.

Watch what it is like to wait in line and order at Chipotle during lunch time. Video link here

The Chipotle on S Figueroa St has proven that dependable high food quality and friendly service can help Chipotle chains overcome the brand’s recent shortcomings.

Chipotle management is implementing this blueprint for chains throughout the country, hoping they can replicate the same results.

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