In July 2018, nearly 650 people got food poisoning after dining at a Chipotle restaurant in Powell, Ohio. The outbreak that caused diarrhea and abdominal pain was tied to bacteria that proliferates when food is not kept at proper temperatures, prosecutors said.
Chipotle launched an enhanced food safety program, which included DNA-testing ingredients before they're shipped to restaurants, changes to food prep and handling practices, and offering paid sick leave to disincentivize sick employees from working.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department of Agriculture investigators reported an outbreak of Salmonella Newport among customers of 17 different Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. The MDH Public Health Laboratory detected two PFGE outbreak strains identified as PulseNet patterns JJPX01.
But according to a report published last night by the Wall Street Journal, the burrito chain believes "the E. coli was most likely from contaminated Australian beef," and that the bacteria "spread to other ingredients through improper food handling."
Chipotle Mexican Grill closed 43 restaurants in Washington and Oregon in early November 2015 in response to the initial outbreak. All these restaurants reopened in November 2015.
Lowe's will close 51 underperforming stores in North America, the company announced Monday. Ellison, Lowe's president and CEO, said in a statement. The company said it plans to close these stores by Feb.
Taco Bell to Close Out 2020 with 6 Weeks of Deals | QSR magazine.
Golden Corral Corp.'s largest franchise group, 1069 Restaurant Group LLC, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic closures. The petition also said the company hopes to open another 18 restaurants by the end of 2020.
Arby's: All company-owned locations and the majority of franchisee locations nationwide are closing their dining rooms and shifting to carryout, and drive-thru options subject to local mandates.
Quiznos equipment could be had on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar. Quiznos could have helped those operators out, but it had that debt it needed to pay off. The funding from the sales of that food was too important. So the chain kept closing units.
Company announces plans to close dozens of Applebee's, 100 IHOP locations. In the news release, Dine Brands stated that 15 Applebee's locations would close for good sometime in the fourth quarter of 2020. The company added that nearly 100 IHOP locations would be closing in the next six months.
Restaurant Business called out Red Lobster as "one name to watch" in a line of restaurants that may be going bankrupt next. The chain had its credit rating downgraded earlier this year, placing it in the "poor quality and high credit risk" category.
Dine Brands Global, the company that owns both Applebee's and IHOP, announced that they will be closing over 100 locations of the restaurants after a decrease of sales in their latest financial quarter. Over a three-month period, IHOP saw a 30% decline in sales.
Store closures in 2020
- JCPenney JCP +37.5% : 158 stores (bankruptcy)
- Pier 1 Imports PIR -18.4% : 936 stores (bankruptcy)
- Stage Stores SSI -20% : 738 stores (liquidating)
- Stein Mart SMRT +11.7% : 250 est.
- AT&T T +0.2% : 250 stores.
- GameStop GME -1.1% : 320 stores.
- Macy's M +5.3% : 125 stores (over 3 years)
Retailers have confirmed at least 7,500 US store closings for 2020. Stein Mart, Men's Wearhouse, Lord & Taylor, Microsoft, GNC, JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom, and Sears are among the retailers that are planning to close stores this year. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
More Restaurant Closings In 2020: IHOP, Applebee's To Shutdown Locations. Franchisor Dine Brands Global (DIN) announced that up to 100 IHOP restaurants would close over the next six months, and 15 Applebee's locations will shutter in the fourth quarter.
The Red Lobster restaurant chain today brushed aside reports that it will be closing its doors. “We are not closing any restaurants,” Jeffers told ABCNews.com on Friday. The confusion may also be linked to Darden's announcement last week that it plans to sell or spin off the Red Lobster chain into a separate company.
Ruby Tuesday said Wednesday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will permanently shutter 185 locations that had been temporarily closed because of the pandemic. Ruby Tuesday will continue to operate its remaining 236 locations while it restructures its debt, the company said.
The casual dining chain furloughs restaurant workers and cuts pay for remaining corporate staff to sustain business in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, which had kept its 556 restaurants open for off-premise orders during the coronavirus pandemic, said it is temporarily closing 35 locations today.
In the 1990s, there had been at various times between 10 and 15 locations in Ontario, but they were all closed in the early 2000s.
