Chipotle requires coronavirus face masks for customers

Signs are posted at entrances alerting guests of the mandate

Chipotle Mexican Grill is requiring all customers to wear a face mask inside its restaurants to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

"The health and safety of our employees and guests is our top priority," Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, told FOX Business in a statement. "Chipotle has proactively made the decision to require guests to wear masks in all restaurants."

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There are signs posted at the restaurant chain's entrances alerting guests of the mandate, according to Schalow.

A lone customer sits and has lunch at a sectioned area for social distancing to protect from the coronavirus as a customer waits for takeout at a at a Chipotle restaurant in Los Angeles on Monday, July 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Customers using Chipotle's drive-thru lanes for mobile ordering and pickup will not be required to wear masks.

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Chipotle joins a growing list of companies requiring masks, including Kroger, Kohl's, Walmart, Sam's Club, Aldi's, Costco, Starbucks, McDonald'sHome Depot, Lowe'sCVS and Target, among others.

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CMG CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC. 61.74 -0.29 -0.47%

The company reported $1.4 billion in revenue for the second quarter, a decrease of 4.8 percent compared to a year ago, including a decline of 9.8 percent in comparable restaurant sales. Net income for the quarter was $8.2 million, compared to $91 million a year ago. Meanwhile, digital sales grew 216.3 percent year over year to $829.3 million, the company's highest quarterly level.

Operating margins fell to 12.2 percent during the quarter, an 8.7 percent decrease weighed down by a higher volume of third-party delivery orders and temporary bumps to worker pay.

According to the report, 37 new restaurants were opened, but three were closed, bringing the total to 2,669. About 30 restaurants remain temporarily closed because of COVID-19, mainly inside malls and shopping centers.

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