A Bodybuilder’s Favorite – Chipotle – Under Fire AGAIN!

When it comes to places that bodybuilders like to frequent, one of them just happens to be Chipotle. And if you know me, you know that I could eat at Chipotle every day for just about every meal—I love their food. I’ve even included them in some of my published articles that talk about healthy ways to eat when you’re away from home. However, Chipotle is back in the news with another outbreak that is causing consumers to run for the hill and causing me to rethink my positioning and recommending them as a place to eat when on the go.

In this article, we are playing a game of baseball, and we’ve even tightened the strike zone to make it harder to get sent back to the bench from a strikeout. However, even when we lump many incidents together, they’re still taking a walk of shame back to the dugout. Chipotle may have been swinging for the fences, but right now they are about as bad as my Philadelphia Phillies.

Chipotle Pre-Game Report

When Chipotle first hit the scene, fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders alike shouted at the top of their lungs, “TAKE MY MONEY!” Fresh ingredients, made the way you wanted, with all the healthy toppings you can imagine. Whether it was steak, chicken, or whatever protein source you chose (or veggie), you had the ability to customize it however you wanted.

Related Article: Everything You Need to Know About Buddha Bowls

Maybe you were in the mood for a salad and wanted to keep your carbs low for the day so you had everything tossed on top of lettuce? Maybe you were in the mood for a burrito and had them build one to your liking which needed two hands to be eaten? Maybe you were in the mood for the traditional bowl which had the contents on top of a bed of white or brown rice? You decide! It was awesome! Top it all off with salsa, guacamole, lettuce, onions, peppers, some black or pinto beans, cheese, etc. You could literally create a different meal every day if you wished—it was brilliant and one of my favorite places to frequent with my wife and son. Then came the first wave of dark clouds.



Strike One

Back in 2015 Chipotle found themselves dealing with an E. coli outbreak that spanned across nine states. Around 53 people became sick from eating at the Mexican grill. Their branding has always been “food with integrity.” This left people feeling a little ill just at the thought of an E. coli outbreak at a place they frequent. Chipotle closed their locations and touted the issue stemmed from suppliers and equipment, not from anything they did in the locations themselves. This might actually be true, considering it was a state-wide problem. Nonetheless, that doesn’t make the situation any easier from a consumer standpoint. They vowed to get everything cleaned, sanitized, and figured out before they open the doors back up for business.

Unfortunately, Chipotle found themselves in more trouble when even more cases of E. coli started popping up over several different months. And for those of you who don’t know, E. coli is spread through feces—both animal and human. Hungry? Probably not at this point. And, we’re only on strike one.



Strike Two

Also in 2015, norovirus (which is highly contagious), fell upon a location in California infecting around 234 employees and customers. This stemmed from one employee who had norovirus coming to work and essentially giving it to everyone around them as well as the customers. This was a downward spiral to follow. Again, in other months in 2015 Chipotle was struck by norovirus, sending more people to the hospital. Some of you might remember hearing that half of the Boston College men’s basketball team caught the virus from a team meal at Chipotle. The norovirus spanned across several months and several states before it seemed to finally disappear (at least for a little while).


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Matt Weik

Matt Weik, BS, CPT, CSCS, CSN, is the Owner and Head Keyboard Banger of Weik Fitness. He is a well-respected, prolific writer with a global following and a self-proclaimed fitness and supplement nerd. Matt’s content has been featured on thousands of websites, 100+ magazines, and he has authored over a dozen published books.