Steve Ells apologized to the those who contracted norovirus after eating at a Chipotle restaurant near Boston College.
Steve Ells, Chipotle founder and CEO
Jack Dempsey / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chipotle founder and CEO, Steve Ells, apologized Thursday to the more than 120 Boston College students who became ill after eating at a nearby Chipotle, and vowed that the restaurant would be the safest place to eat.
"The procedures we're putting in place to eat are so above industry norms that we are going to be the safest place to eat,'' Ells told The Today Show host Matt Lauer.
The Boston College illnesses come as Chipotle sales have taken a serious tumble following a multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to the restaurant chain.
Boston College issued a statement saying that nearly all of the sick cases were related to students who ate at the nearby Chipotle restaurant during the past weekend. Health authorities confirmed that more than 120 Boston College students showed symptoms consistent with norovirus — a highly contagious virus spread by contaminated food, improper hygiene and contact with contaminated surfaces. The virus causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea lasting 24-48 hours or more.
The Chipotle near Boston College was voluntarily closed by the company.
"It's a really tough time,'' Ells told The Today Show. "I have to say I'm sorry for the people that got sick. They're having a tough time. I feel terrible about that, and we're doing a lot to rectify this and make sure it doesn't happen again."
A Boston Inspectional Services report said that an employee at the Chipotle location in Boston College was sick while working last week, the Associated Press reported. Because the disease is easily spread from person to person, Chipotle is taking precautions to ensure that the location is properly sanitized before it is reopened.
"When we re-open, the [Boston] restaurant will be completely sanitized, and every single employee will have been tested and assured that they do not have norovirus," Ells said.
LINK: Chipotle Sales Are Tumbling, As E. Coli Outbreak Worsens
LINK: Why Is Chipotle Having So Many Food Safety Issues?
