As Chipotle gains distance from the food safety scares it was plagued by late last year, customers are becoming more willing to dine at the chain, according to a new consumer survey.
Negative sentiment toward the fast casual hit a low in January, and consumer confidence has grown after Chipotle boosted traffic with such efforts as offering a coupon for a free entree, an analyst from William Blair & Company, the firm that conducted the survey, said in a note reported on by CNBC.
Despite these shifts, awareness of the E.coli outbreaks that sickened people in more than a dozen states “remains high,” at around 80 percent, CNBC says.
Chipotle suffered a significant loss in both traffic and brand perception in the aftermath of its highly publicized E.coli and norovirus issues. The chain said its same-store sales slipped 14.6 percent year over year during the final quarter of 2015, while its income fell 44 percent.
Read the full story via CNBC.
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