The Chipotle Mexican Grill that closed on Monday in the wake of dozens of reports that customers became ill after eating there reopened on Tuesday — with an entirely new staff, The Post has learned.
“Last night we sanitized the restaurant and ordered all new food,” a manager at the Powell, Ohio, store told The Post. “Everything is brand new and we are opening at noon.”
The eatery, at 9733 Sawmill Parkway, is being staffed by employees from nearby Chipotles, as the staff of the now-sanitized restaurant takes a “24-hour cool-down period,” the manager said.
The local health department on Tuesday asked Chipotle customers who develop “nausea, vomiting and or diarrhea” after eating at the Sawmill eatery from July 26 to July 30 to contact the agency.
More than 100 people have already done so, said a spokeswoman for the county health department, adding that the reports began over the weekend.
Chipotle voluntarily closed the restaurant Monday. The agency conducted an initial inspection and is returning again today, the spokeswoman said.
“We don’t know at this point what the bacteria is,” the spokeswoman said.
“The local health department has informed us of two customer complaints of illness at one restaurant in Powell, OH,” Chipotle said in a statement. “We acted quickly and closed this single restaurant out of an abundance of caution yesterday. We are working with the local health department and we plan to reopen this restaurant today.”
The number of people who got sick after eating at the Chipotle restaurant could be as high as 280, according to the website iwaspoisoned.com.
“The rate of reporting for Chipotle has remained elevated in 2017 and 2018,” said iwaspoisoned.com founder Patrick Quade.
One customer who ate at the Powell eatery on Sunday wrote on the website:
“I felt queasy later that evening, and on Monday morning I woke up to extreme nausea, cramps, and diarrhea. It is now Tuesday, although I feel better, I am still far from 100%. I am still getting stomach pains and I don’t feel comfortable leaving the house.”
Chipotle shares were down more than 6 percent on Tuesday, to $429.33.


