Chipotle food safety scare spooks investors

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill plunged during the trading session Tuesday after the company confirmed it closed one of the chain’s Ohio restaurants when numerous patrons reported becoming ill after eating there.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
CMG	CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC.	3,005.00	+81.68	+2.79%

The company closed the Powell, Ohio restaurant Monday in response to the reported outbreak, though the stock remained lower after it reopened the location Tuesday afternoon.

“We acted quickly and closed this single restaurant out of an abundance of caution yesterday and we’ve implemented our food safety response protocols that includes a total replacement of all food inventory and complete cleaning and sanitation of the restaurant,” the company said in a statement.

As of Tuesday afternoon, local health authorities said they had received more than 100 complaints from customers who ate at the Powell restaurant.

Investors may be quick to react to news of illness at Chipotle due to a series of outbreaks throughout recent years. In 2015, 60 customers across 14 states got sick after an E.coli outbreak affected food at branch locations.

Outbreaks of a norovirus sickened more than 100 customers in Boston in 2015 and, earlier that year, more than 100 people in California.

Shares of Chipotle are up more than 25% over the past year and more than 49% so far this year.