Good crisis PR is worth every penny.

Some might question the authenticity of that statement coming from a firm that specializes in crisis PR. But just ask Chipotle – they’re likely to agree.

You’re probably tired of hearing about the Chipotle saga by now. And Chipotle is definitely tired of you hearing about the Chipotle saga. It seems like there is constantly a new development coming to light, and staying in the spotlight is not advantageous for the company in this case.

There have been no reports of E. coli from Chipotle since the beginning of December. The Center for Disease Control declared the outbreak over in early February. Yet, for some reason, the story seems to drag on.

It’s been about four months since this whole ordeal started. Hundreds of news stories, a divorce from its public relations firm and a company-wide meeting on food safety later, Chipotle is still hurting.

Unfortunately for Chipotle, more than just their reputation is taking a hit.

According to a recent Gizmodo article, in the last quarter, Chipotle suffered from more than $53 million in lost sales. That is a lot of uneaten burritos.

This is a stunning example of how negative PR can not only do irreparable damage to your reputation, it can also directly hurt your bottom line.

The good news is that a crisis can be often mitigated with thorough preparation. It is important to partner with a PR firm that will work hard to prepare and protect you BEFORE you have a crisis on your hands and the eyes of the whole world watching your every move. A good crisis communications firm can help you successfully manage a crisis, or preferably, avoid one altogether.