Personal Injury Law

Chipolte Cyclists More Important Than Victims Of Hepatitis A To Its Hometown Newspaper

By Marler Clark LLP

Denver is the hometown of Chipotle Mexican Grill.   So,  we are not surprised with the "homer" coverage the fast food chain is getting from Joyselle Davis, a business writer at the Rocky Mountain News.

Within the same news cycle that Terry Wesley sued Chipotle for giving him Hepatitis A from eating at the Mexican fast food chain's outlet on Fletcher Parkway in Le Mesa,  Ms. Davis writes a glowing story entitled "Chipotle rides onto a bigger stage."  In it she makes no mention of the fact that Chipolte's Kent, Ohio outlet has spread norovirus to more than 400 while the Le Mesa, CA Chipolte is serving up Hepatitus A to 21 confirmed cases so far.

Instead,  "The Rocky" has a just "slap your leg" with laughs story about how the European riders on the new "Slipstream-Chipotle" cycling team call burritos "bread."   Wow, is that funny or what?

The serious part of the story, the part that could have just as well been written by the burrito peddlers public relations department, was this:

For co-sponsor Chipotle Mexican Grill, which prides itself on using only hormone- and antibiotic-free meat, the marketing deal gives the restaurant chain a vehicle to take its additive-free ethos to the world stage.

"This is a team that's very vigorous about their drug testing and keeping their bodies clean, and that's very much our philosophy," said Jim Adams, Chipotle's executive marketing director.

Excuse us for being picky, but we are far more concerned about a restaurant chain being "pathogen free" than we are about its ethos or its cycling team.   Chipotle is making people sick.  Its customers would also like to be "drug free," but they all have to get well before that's going to happen.

Writing about Hepatitis A, the viral infection that attacks the liver and is spread by fecal contamination of water or food, isn't as much fun as those colorful new bike uniforms "The Rocky" is so excited about.  Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, fever, fatigue, dark urine and jaundice.

But that's path Terry Wesley has been forced to take by Chipolte.  Its a far  tougher ride.  Its the one "The Rocky" apparently does not want to hear, see, or talk about.

Full post as published by Hepatitis Blog on May 07, 2008 (boomark / email).