Chiptopia Could've Saved Chipotle's Queso Misfire

A lot of people aren't digging the new queso at Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG). The meandering burrito roller's noble attempt to create the processed creamy cheese topping by sticking to all-natural ingredients is blowing up on social media -- and not in a good way.

Negative reviews are far outweighing the positive ones, sending the shares to a fresh 52-week low on Tuesday. The irony here is that Chipotle tested its pungent and soupy concoction in two different markets and its New York City test kitchen before unleashing it across the country last week. Social media didn't like it then, either, but the chain still went through with the national rollout.

"What we are seeing now in terms of social sentiment is very similar to what we saw when we began marketwide tests in Colorado and Southern California, yet we were sufficiently encouraged by those tests -- both in terms of sentiment from the research we conducted and business results -- to roll out the queso nationwide," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold told Reuters earlier this week.

Source: Fool.com