Final answer:
A food borne illness outbreak can lead to decreased revenues and diminished sales and loyalty from worried guests due to immediate avoidance of the affected store and long-term damage to brand credibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
A food borne illness outbreak can result in several possible costs to a store, two of which are decreased revenues and diminished sales and loyalty from worried guests. During a foodborne illness outbreak, consumers may choose to avoid the affected store or restaurant due to concerns about their health. This can lead to an immediate drop in customer visits, which directly affects revenue.
Furthermore, if the source of the outbreak is identified as a particular food item served by the store, there could be a long-term impact on brand credibility and consumer trust. Restaurants and small retailers that experienced the pandemic saw how quickly an external event could lead to revenue losses, and an illness outbreak could have a similar effect. Guests' loyalty to a business can be severely impacted if they associate a risk of illness with dining or shopping at that location, leading to decreased sales and potentially damaging the business's reputation in the long run.