Taco Bell’s parent company said Thursday it reported a dip in customers after the chain removed lettuce from its menu earlier this month because of a growing cyclospora outbreak.
Taco Bell said sales are down about 2% so far this quarter, with the sharpest decline occurring around the weekend of July 18, shortly after the company pulled lettuce from its menu.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention originally linked contaminated lettuce to produce supplied by Taylor Farms. The CDC later said the result was a false positive and has been unable to determine the exact cause of the outbreak.
“The safety of our consumers is our highest priority. We know our consumers place their trust in us,” said Chris Turner, CEO of Taco Bell parent Yum Brands. “We remain committed to earning that trust each and every day. It starts with an unwavering commitment to food quality and safety. That commitment is reflected in how we act when issues arise. Our teams are acting quickly and transparently while keeping the safety and well-being of our consumers as the top priority.”
The company said business has since returned closer to normal levels. That comes as Taco Bell has launched limited-time $1 deals on menu items that do not contain lettuce, including its Mexican Pizza.
Turner suggested Taco Bell fans have helped improve public perception during the outbreak.
“We’ve seen real improvement as consumers have understood better the nature of the issue, and they understand that it is not a Taco Bell-specific issue,” Turner said. “If you think about signs of that engagement, our letter, the Taco Bell team’s letter to their fans on Instagram and TikTok, it was the highest-engaged post of this year and one of the highest of all time. Our measures of online sentiment, as we said, have returned to pre-issue levels of positivity. There’s been no change in our measures to brand love. In fact, in some of those measures, there’s even an increase in positivity and brand love.”
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Turner said the one-day $1 Mexican Pizza promotion generated the most app activity the company has ever seen on a Tuesday.
“You’ve seen a significant decline in Taco Bell’s share of the conversation related to this issue,” he said. “The best proof point is that consumers are coming back to the restaurants on a steady basis. We’ve seen steady improvement in those sales trends. If you think about what we’re doing, we’re driving the magic formula.”
But Taco Bell, and the broader food supply chain, still face questions about the cyclospora outbreak. Earlier this week, Michigan health officials said cases linked to the diarrhea-causing parasite surged above 10,000 this summer.
Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne illness caused by a microscopic parasite. People usually become infected through contaminated food or water, especially fresh produce. According to Scripps News medical expert Dr. Omer Awan, the parasite is commonly linked to lettuce, basil and other leafy vegetables.
Awan warned the illness can cause severe symptoms.
“This is not the typical stomach bug that you’re used to because this diarrhea can persist for weeks to even months,” he said. “If you have diarrhea that’s lasting more than three or four days, you should absolutely talk to your doctor and get treatment so you can feel better.”
