Chipotle Mexican Grill shares plunged by as much as 3.7 percent Thursday morning after Eric Van Lustbader, author of the next-generation Jason Bourne thrillers, tweeted to his more than 3,700 followers that his editor likely got food poisoning at one of its New York restaurants.
https://twitter.com/EVanLustbader/status/751028141636915200
The stock closed at $401.05 Wednesday. On Thursday shares dipped as low as $386.10 and closed at $390.78, down 2.56 percent.
Chipotle has been struggling since last fall, to the Denver-based fast-casual Mexican food chain were reported, sending shares skidding from $750.40 on Oct. 13. Sales were down 30 percent at established locations in the first quarter.
A Chipotle spokesman said the company was aware of the tweet but noted that there have been no reports of illness at any of its New York restaurants.
The company took another public image hit on Tuesday, when one of its top executives, Mark Crumpacker, was following a cocaine bust in New York. Crumpacker led the marketing effort to restore the battered company’s image after Ի outbreaks sickened customers.
Chipotle has been trying to win back customers with coupons for free burritos, a summer loyalty program for frequent diners and a plan to add chorizo to restaurant menus nationally.
Lustbader received an onslaught of tweets criticizing him for inciting panic without proof and dropping the chain’s stocks.
He responded by clarifying that he was just concerned about his editor’s health, not stocks.
https://twitter.com/EVanLustbader/status/751063185592049665
…Everything else is in other people's minds.
— Eric Van Lustbader (@EVanLustbader)
I will no longer answer abt the incident. I tweeted because I was worried that my friend got so sick.Didn't want it to happen to anyone else
— Eric Van Lustbader (@EVanLustbader)
