Twelve months ago, the damage from the restaurant chain’s food-safety scare peaked at a 34% dive in customer traffic. A year later, sales growth appears to be returning, but Chipotle’s business still faces huge challenges in its bid to climb back to anything approaching its prior glory days.

Twelve months ago, the damage from the restaurant chain’s food-safety scare peaked at a 34% dive in customer traffic. A year later, sales growth appears to be returning, but Chipotle’s business still faces huge challenges in its bid to climb back to anything approaching its prior glory days.

The year 2016 was not a good year for most retailers. Several high-profile chains filed for bankruptcy — I’m looking at you, Sports Authority and Eastern Mountain Sports — and big-box retailers like Macy’s , Sears , J.C. Penney , and even Wal-Mart reported dismal sales that led them to close hundreds of stores.