The investigation was aimed mostly at the Buffalo Grill subsidiary, Districoupe, which police suspect may have illegally imported beef from Britain.

BBC: French restaurant chain in BSE probe

Meanwhile, popular family restaurant chain Buffalo Grill, which has 215 outlets in France, is looking to increase its exotic selection of meats such as buffalo and ostrich, having removed beef ribs from its eateries.

CNN: Chefs weigh up BSE fears

It is alleged that the Buffalo Grill chain continued serving beef from Britain after it was banned in the European Union and that this may have been the cause of cases of the human form of mad cow disease (BSE), known as variant CJD.

BBC: French restaurant chain in BSE probe

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) and Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) were hit by higher chicken costs last year, yet both are recovering nicely.

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