Chipotle’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Mark Crumpacker is stepping down, according to a regulatory filing from the company today.
Crumpacker’s resignation comes one month after the embattled chain hired former Taco Bell head Brian Niccol as its new CEO. Crumpacker has been with Chipotle since 2008.
Crumpacker, whose departure is effective Thursday, has had a troubled tenure with the chain. In 2016, he was arrested by New York City police for allegedly purchasing cocaine from a drug ring that used car services to provide home delivery. He was charged with seven counts of possessing a controlled substance. Crumpacker pleaded guilty to the charges and was offered a deal to have the case dismissed if he agreed to undergo counseling and submit to drug tests for a year. He took a two-month leave from Chipotle following his arrest.
Under the terms of his resignation, he will receive 26 weeks of severance pay and isn’t allowed to work for another restaurant company for one year.
"Mark has been a valued member of our leadership team and played an integral role in shaping and defining the Chipotle brand, and we thank him for his contributions," a company spokesperson told CNBC. "We have a very talented marketing team in place and we'll continue our existing programs while we finalize the plans for a new CMO."
Chipotle’s most recent earnings indicated that in spite of some same-store sales gains, the chain is still struggling to bring back customers even two years after its food safety crisis.
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