Chipotle is now giving away more free food, particularly burritos, to woo costumers back. The restaurant chain is struggling after norovirus, salmonella, and E.coli outbreaks in some branches across the US have been reported.
According to FOX NEWS, the company did not give any specific details on the promotion, but it sent emails to restaurants with details on how much they can increase the giveaways and reward costumers. "The exact giveaways will be up to each store's discretion," Co-CEO Monty Moran said, "Allowing managers to create their own campaigns," Yahoo reported.
The practice is not new, but it has not been used in years, although Chipotle did not give out the exact dates for the free food giveaway. Chipotle also made changes to improve food safely.
The restaurant chain is now in a tough time trying to reboot itself. By Feb. 8 they will close nearly 2,000 North American restaurants to discuss and focus on food safety among employees and for evaluation.
The chain also plans for an expansive marketing campaign by mid-February to attract more customers back to its stores. They hope that this campaign, which includes direct mail and traditional ads, will help clear the mishaps.
While it's fresh, non-GMO ingredients used to be popular among customers, things took a turn in July when some customers complained of bacterial infections after eating at the restaurant. Since then a lot of complaints about bacterial infections have been reported across the country.
The upcoming marketing plan will be its attempt to restore the restaurant's image among investors and customers alike. "I have confidence that we are to recover from this," co-CEO Steve Ells said.
While investors appear to be satisfied with the procedures Chipotle is making to restore its image as food with integrity, the response from consumers is yet to be determined.
