A Third Of Chipotle’s Board Members Will Leave The Company

Chipotle has had quite an unfortunate time with food safety scares and has been trying to recover since.

A 2015 E. Coli outbreak sickened some customers and cost the company quite a bit as a result. Sales fell 20 percent last year at its established locations.

The burrito restaurant chain just revealed that a third of its board members will be leaving in May after their terms expire.

Activist investor Bill Ackman’s hedge fund, Pershing Square Capital, is one of Chipotle’s largest shareholders. The hedge fund owns more than 10 percent stake in the chain. Chipotle has been under pressure to recover by Ackman.

In a filing on Friday, the company revealed the four names who would not be seeking re-election in May to stay on the board. They are John Charlesworth, Patrick Flynn, Darlene Friedman and Stephen Gillett.

“Their decisions not to stand for re-election are not related to any disagreement with Chipotle or with Chipotle’s operations,” the company said in the document.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., based in Denver, is trying to win back diners after a 2015 E. Coli outbreak sickened some customers. Sales fell 20 percent last year at its established locations, even as it gave away millions of free burritos, launched a temporary loyalty program and worked on improving its customer service.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) and have not been compensated for this article.