Chipotle stock falls after customers report illness, restaurant closes

William Brinson

• Chipotle‘s stock price fell 2% premarket on Tuesday. Business Insider reported late-Monday that more than 170 people said they fell ill after eating at a restaurant in Ohio. 
• The company has closed the restaurant amid an investigation. 
• Chipotle’s stock has gained 61% this year as the company turned around a sales slump that was caused by illness outbreaks.
• Follow Chipotle’s stock price in real-time here.

Chipotle shares are down 2% ahead of the market open on Tuesday. Business Insider’s Hayley Peterson reported late-Monday that more than 170 people said they fell ill after eating at a restaurant in Powell, Ohio. 

Chipotle has closed the restaurant amid an investigation. The company told health officials that two to five staff members called off work due to illness on July 29 and 30.

Reports of illness first surfaced Sunday on the website iwaspoisoned.com, and surged into the hundreds following Business Insider’s report.  

Chipotle’s stock soared 61% this year through the market close on Monday amid optimism about the appointment of Brian Niccol, the new CEO. He was hired from Taco Bell to help turnaround the business, which had experienced a slump in sales and traffic after multiple illness outbreaks linked to Chipotle.

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