Moes Vs. Chipotle

Moe’s Southwest Grill has unseated Chipotle as America’s favorite fast casual Mexican restaurant. The news comes from a Harris Poll survey that assesses how people feel about certain restaurant brands.

This year, Chipotle didn’t even rank in the top four after claiming the No. 1 spot the past three years in a row. Taco Bell, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Baja Fresh Mexican Grill rounded out the rest of the top spots. That loss of consumer faith probably had a lot to do with several Chipotle restaurants throughout the country being linked to E. Coli and norovirus infections.

The company shut down all of its locations across the country for a day back in February to deal with its food safety issues. Chipotle tried to lure customers back by sending a promotion for free burritos through the mail. The company reports two-thirds of the coupons were redeemed. But the damage was apparently already done.