CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A viewer reached out to CBS 6 Tuesday saying the Chipotle restaurant, at 7106 Midlothian Turnpike, was evacuated and temporarily closed around lunchtime.
CBS 6 was on the scene when the store put up a notice on their front door, announcing the temporary closure.
“I was wondering what happened,” said one would be Chipotle customer.
This Chipotle customer wasn't alone. She and dozens of others pulled up at lunchtime to grab a bite but were met with closed doors and temporarily closed signs.
CBS 6 contacted Chipotle’s corporate office and were told that this particular restaurant shut down for the day because someone inside became sick.
New policies implemented late last year dictate that anytime someone gets sick inside of a Chipotle, they are to shut down and sanitize the restaurant.
“We think it's bad that they had to shut it down,” the woman said. “But we’re glad they did for the public’s safety.”
The company would not say whether it was a customer that got sick or a worker. They also did not specify whether or not a person got sick in the dining room or behind the scenes in the kitchen area of the restaurant.
The new policy grew out of increased food safety measures on the heels of last summer's E. coli outbreak in Chipotle's across the county.
Chipotle leaders stressed this particular closure is a routine measure and only affects this particular restaurant at 7106 Midlothian Turnpike.
Though there is no requirement to notify health department officials about Tuesday’s situation, CBS 6 learned that Chipotle did in fact make the Chesterfield Health Department aware of this closure.
“I definitely think that when you're working around food you should take things like this seriously,” said Chipotle customer Amina Jenkins. “I appreciate that they made this gesture. I think others should follow.”
An official with the Chesterfield Health Department tells CBS 6 they commend Chipotle for the way they handled Tuesday incident and it shows they are taking their increased safety measures very seriously.
Chipotle leaders tell CBS 6 they will likely re-open Wednesday.
