Editor’s note: Chipotle Mexican Grill has released additional details about this security incident. For specifics on which locations were impacted and how to submit a claim with the Federal Trade Commission, see the chain’s blog posthere.
Chipotle seems unable to get a break.
Following the Mexican fast-casual chain’s E. coli episode in 2015, the brand has had difficulty generating favorable press.
After Chipotle recently implemented a roughly 5% price increase at about one-fifth of its restaurants nationwide, some customers voiced fresh dissatisfaction.
You could say a dark cloud has hovered over Chipotle for some time now, and this week’s issue certainly doesn’t help: On April 25, Chipotlerevealedthat attackers had infiltrated its payment platform.
Yikes.
Hackers Accessed Chipotle’s Payment Network — Are You Impacted?
The chain’s quarterly earnings call began on a high note. Management said same-store sales rose by 17.8% — a turnaround after five consecutive quarters of declines.
That bit of good news was enough to send Chipotle Mexican Grill shares up by as much as 6.8% following the report.
But the call also included news about the payment-system intrusion.
Chipotle’s chief financial officer, Jack Hartung, said the company “detected unauthorized activity” on the network used to process in-store credit and debit card transactions, per CNBC.
The affected transactions took place between March 24 and April 18, 2017.
Why is this alarming? When a payments network is compromised, sensitive information like card numbers can fall into criminals’ hands, enabling theft from customers’ accounts.
Carissa Economos, a senior at The University of Tampa, shared her unease with me on Facebook.
“I’ve eaten there three times in the past week alone and now I’m kind of freaking out,” Economos said. “I’ve been watching my account and everything looks fine, but it’s wild that such a large company can be breached. It just shows that no matter how protected a system seems, there’s always a way in.”
Hartung said the corporation launched an investigation right away after learning of the incident. Chipotle’s statement noted the company has taken measures it believes will stop further unauthorized activity.
If you visited Chipotle recently, it’s sensible to monitor your bank and card statements. Report any suspicious charges to your financial institution right away.
Hopefully Chipotle’s troubles subside soon — rumor has it it might add a dessert to menus, but I’m not keen on risking my credit card security for a sweet treat.
Also see related coverage on the chipotle coupon apology for more context about recent company communications.
Your turn: Are you concerned about Chipotle’s security breach?
