170 report illness from Chipotle near Columbus

At least 170 people believe they became ill after eating at the Chipotle in Powell north of Columbus this past weekend, and it has been learned that several employees called off sick during that time.

The website Iwaspoisoned.com first reported a few illnesses on Monday from customers of the store. As the news broke, according to site founder Patrick Quade, reports of illnesses have flooded in. As of early Tuesday morning, the site has received more than 105 reports covering at least 170 people.

The Chipotle was closed Monday and Tuesday as a precaution, according to the company. Chipotle also said it was investigating the reports of illness.

The Delaware General Health District is also investigating. The public health agency issued a warning for patrons of the restaurant.

“If you consumed food from Chipotle at 9733 Sawmill Parkway between Thursday, July 26 and Monday, July 30, and have experienced symptoms of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, please call 740-368-1700 and ask to speak to a member of the communicable disease team,” reads the message from the Delaware health agency.

The agency also visited the store Monday and found that the store was being sanitized and food was being discarded.

No violations were found on Monday, according to the health department report.

Given the continuing problems, at least one analyst thinks the company needs more than a change of leadership, which occurred earlier this year when Brian Niccol, a Miami University graduate and former CEO of Taco Bell, took over Chipotle from founder Steve Ells.

“Reports in the media that an Ohio restaurant was closed after a customer became sick should highlight again that simply changing the CEO does not make problems go away,” said John Zolidis, president of Quo Vadis Capital in a note published by MarketWatch.com.