Recently in my Public Relations class I had to do a project about an organization with one of my good friends, Molly Thomas. She chose Chipotle because she is OBSESSED with it. Since it was a project for a PR class we obviously got to the topic of the E. Coli breakout and as the germophobe that I am I was like "EW,". But, Molly's Answer was something on the lines of "I'm not afraid of E. Coli, Chipotle is bae". So I asked her to write an article on why millennials are not afraid of E. Coli and this is what she wrote.
Yes—I know that guac is extra.
Yes—I know that 58 Americans were struck with E. Coli, but this corn salsa is speaking louder than my willpower.
When I called my mother after my routine burrito bowl run, she scoffed at me,
“Are you seriously eating that stuff after all the news?!”
“Mom, life is too short to not take risks,” I declared, scarfing down a mouthful of sofrita and black beans. “You’re letting fear dictate your life.”
Although I like to think of myself as a daredevil, risk taking bad ass, I concede the fact that most of my friends are also still eating Chipotle.
“Statistically, the probability of getting E. Coli is extremely low,” one student stated when asked why she continues to be a loyal burrito enthusiast. “I appreciate their business ethics and how they source their food naturally.”
This seems to be the primary sentiment amongst millennials, too in love to break relations after one mistake.
Another student requesting anonymity pointed out that you really run the risk of disease with every food you eat. “You can get E. Coli from so many things besides Chipotle—look at this Sodexo Caf Food I feel like you’re just as likely to get it from this.”
According to a recent report by The NPD Group, despite all the recent media coverage, Chipotle has not lost its target audience: us. They found that, although the overall sales have dropped five percent, young adults are willing to ignore safety concerns due to “unabashed loyalty or lack of awareness.” From an economics standpoint, we realize that the marginal benefits—delicious, natural guacamole-- outweigh the marginal costs—E. coli risks.
As explained in Millenium Marketing’s article “Millennial Target: Chipotle Has A Fresh Appeal,” our Chipotle loyalties stem from the company’s desire to provide “food with integrity.” This is also their mission statement and the basis of countless marketing campaigns the past decade. It’s 2016. At this point every millennial knows that fast, processed, GMO-filled foods are detrimental on our health. Chipotle offers a refreshing break from this world of artificial fillings and frozen, premade meals. We’re tired of trying to find healthy alternatives in grease-filled menus. Tired of questioning the origin of the grounded up “meat” in our taco shell. With its revolutionary pledge of freshness, Chipotle raised standards that other restaurants are incapable of changing.
