Chipotle sales fall short despite free food; stock off 6 percent

Chipotle Mexican Grill is seen in uptown Washington, February 8, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaMoreBy Lisa Baertlein
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc’s free food giveaways to lure back diners after a string of food safety lapses last year failed to revive sales as much as Wall Street expected and its stock dropped almost 6 percent.
Chipotle gave away more than 6 million free burritos and bowls of food during February and March as well as nearly 1 million free orders of