Transactions at more established stores fell and customers spent less, the company said.

Fourth-quarter earnings tumbled to $16 million, down 76% from $67.9 million in the same period a year ago. Earnings per share of 55 cents missed Wall Street estimates by a penny, according to S&P Capital IQ.

But in one of the few hopeful signs, revenue increased 3.7% to $1 billion.

The chain's full-year results paint an even more painful picture. Net income cratered to $22.9 million, down $95% from $475.6 million in 2015. Revenue fell 13.3% to $3.9 billion.

Executives remained upbeat, saying they are taking a back-to-basics approach to Chipotle's comeback from an outbreak of E. coli that sickened customers in 2015.

The chain has been trying to recover ever since, including taking out full-page ads in major newspapers last year apologizing and pledging to redo the restaurants. The mantra of cool that made Chipotle a favorite for the college-age set still hasn't come back.

Sales at same restaurants open at least a year -- an industry measure that shows performance excluding the contribution of newer locations.fell 20.4% for the full year. They fell 4.8% for the quarter, but in a hopeful sign, rose 14.7% in December alone.

LJL

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32586987)

you get sick of their food pretty quick. besides all the ecoli shit

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32586997)

I will say that there is a noticeable difference in quality at different stores

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32587022)

too many peeps doin the xo guac trick

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32586996)

OK not literally. McDonalds is like a 1 in 4 chance of having nice hot fresh fries with a fresh burger. the vast majority of the time it's cold limp fries and nasty chewy burger.

But Chipotle also now is just not good. The ingredients are sitting there all dried out. The portions are all over the map. There is no flavor. Every town has an upstart burrito joint with better flavor. The people that work there are McDonald's caliber shitheads. It just sucks. Nothing to do with food safety.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32587237)

At my local chipotle, the black employees are slow as hell, creating huge lines. When it was all Mexicans, chipotle would cut through lines quickly with uniform serving sizes and properly wrapped burritos. This has the ability to devastate the financial viability of a location

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3521555&forum_id=2#32588701)