Chipotle

Business

Health Director: Chipotle Seems to Have Had Problems Training Employees in Health Practices

By David Gurliacci | December 29, 2015

Recent health problems at various Chipotle restaurants across the country and health code violations found at two of the restaurants in Darien have town Health Director David Knauf concerned about the company’s training practices for food handlers. After problems with outbreaks of e. coli bacteria at various locations (not in Connecticut) and norovirus at a Chipotle restaurant in Boston, the company announced recently that it would change its procedures to keep and handle food safer. Among the changes: The company said it would put uncooked onions in boiling water briefly to kill some germs; test samples of meat before shipping it to restaurants; marinate chicken in plastic bags rather than bowls; and chop tomatoes and cilantro in centralized locations rather than at stores. The company told ABC News last week: “With all these program components in place, we will be able to reduce the risk of contamination within our system to a level near zero.” But Knauf doesn’t think that addresses a central problem: “It’s not a question of the food sources — it’s a question of practices within the establishment,” he said.

Business

Two Chipotle Restaurants in Town Get ‘Poor’ Ratings in Health Inspections

By David Gurliacci | December 17, 2015

As the Chipotle restaurant chain has had problems with various outbreaks sickening its customers, the Darien Health Department conducted inspections at two of the chain’s restaurants in town and rated each of them “Poor” on the department’s rating system. One other town restaurant was given a “Good” rating in the latest health inspections announced by the department. The reports from a health inspector noted chicken at too low a temperature at the Chipotle in the Darien North rest stop on Interstate 95 and (at the Chipotle at 71 Post Road rice in a walk-in cooler at 50 degrees — not cold enough (details from each inspection are below). Elsewhere

Recently some customers in Massachusetts were sickened from a novovirus after eating at Chipotle, and, in the months before that, E. coli outbreaks among people who ate at Chipotle restaurants were reported in various states. Some of the customers became sick in October and November.