Chipotle = Vomit City



Our NY readers who were recently graced with shiny new Chipotle locations on St. Marks Place and Grand Central Station can consider themselves warned. The McDonalds-financed burrito chain is accused of poisoning students near the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. Though CSTB is usually not opposed to the suffering of college students, innocent diners like your author might've been affected by this tragedy. From the Daily Texan's Andrew Tan :

More than 25 students with food poisoning found themselves in the Urgent Care ward of the University Health Services over the weekend, UHS Associate Director Theresa Spalding said Monday.




Spalding said a doctor noticed that most of her patients had eaten at Chipolte Grill on Guadalupe Street.

RTF junior Ashok Subramanian had the mistfortune of experiencing all the symptoms of gastroenteritis (abdominal pain, vomiting, dehydration) 20-minute intervals from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. He had chicken tacos for lunch Wednesday from Chipotle.

Chipotle was founded in 1993 by CEO and professional chef Steve Ells. In 1998, McDonald's invested a minority stake in Chipotle, the first time it had ever invested outside its own company.

While helping fund the burrito company's expansion and analyze its market data, McDonald's discovered that 55 percent of Chipotle customers are there four times a month or more.

"Is it wrong for me to be craving Chipotle right now?" Subramanian asked his girlfriend after vomiting left him famished.

Spalding said those suffering from the symptoms of food poisoning should be sure to drink lots of fluid to avoid dehydration.

"Good hand washing is also very important," she said.

Amen.

Posted: Tue - June 22, 2004 at 11:20 PM      

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