FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
February 27, 2007
Say it Isn't so Taco-Bell
As a fast-food connoisseur, I enjoy many different take-out eateries from Chik-fil-A, to Subway, and even McDonalds at times, but my favorite place has always been Taco-Bell. The tacos, flavorful, the nachos, deliciously messy and filling, and the hot sauce plentiful, but while living in New York the chain’s debacles has, sadly, left me gun-shy.
I had almost built up enough courage to enter the establishment after the e-coli breakout. I had a craving for a 7-Layer Burrito, and was willing to concede that it was not the fault of Taco-Bell, but the fault of its onion distributor. Then the rats were found. The guilty restaurant happens to also be the location I went to, to get my chalupa fix. Now, I will not go to the one near the lower East side, or enter any other Taco-Bell because of what I have seen.
This may significantly alter my life, and it is because of the disturbing footage I viewed on YouTube. As much as I did not want to look, I ended up watching, and it wasn’t pretty. It looked like the awful, made for T.V. movie, The Rats. You can not see food poisoning, so people would forgive and forget, but the rats are all over the internet for people in California, Texas, Ohio and any other state to see.
Taco-Bell Corporation has decided the best way to deal with this is blame the owner of the specific location with the pests, and ignore the subject. This strategy does not exactly "think outside the bun," so-to-speak. Yes, the rats only scoured for food and inhabited only one chain in the Greenwich Village area of New York, but the impact felt because of YouTube, and other sites, will go much farther than one owner’s negligence. When people see the image of those fat, hairy, grey vermin scuffling across the floor, they probably will not think "oh, I am glad I don’t live in New York." Instead what will trickle into their minds is "I wonder if my local Taco-Bell has that problem?"
The Corporation must deal with this on a macro level because of one micro level store. Instead of disregarding customers’ nationwide; that is the customer the company should worry most about. The Bell may have lost some people in the New York area, but they still have a chance to hold onto customers in other states with a strong marketing plan.
Of course if they can take a page from Viacom, and figure out how to get rid of the video on YouTube, it might not be necessary, but I don’t see that one happening.
As for me; at least I can still go to Chipotle.
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at February 27, 2007 5:52 PM | Category: marketing |
17 Comments
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May be Taco Bell could bring out a taco that uses rat as a filling? As soon as the rats heard about it they wouldn't enter the store for fear of being made into a 5 layer 'Taco Rat-o'
Knee jerk. Or is that the point?
One bad apple (or franchise) spoils it for all?
Taco Bell does NOT require their employees to wear plastic gloves while preparing your food.
Next time you go into Taco Bell watch the pimply-faced "associate" digging his bare hands into the shredded lettuce while he makes your Taco Supreme.
Yeah, he washed his hands after that last piss... sure he did.
Yo no quiero Taco Bell... yeah I'm wondering at what point the e-coli entered the picture. The CNN article said that it may have occurred on site -- are they sure? I know some farmers use manure as fertilizer. I wonder if that's the case with these onion growers.
Also, with the combo/split operations, does that close the KFC that operates with the Taco Bell in the same space too?
Three blocks away, Washington Square Park has had a major rat infestation (major in both quantity and size of the rats) for years. A month ago, a red hawk moved into the park. Coincidence?
The city has been trying to push through a major slash and burn redesign of the park for a few years now. If they get past the opposition lawsuits and gut the park as they'd like, expect more of this to happen, and not just at fast food restaurants.
they probably will not think "oh, I am glad I don’t live in New York."
I don't think so. I too love Taco Bell, but my first reaction was exactly this: "This video probably says more about New York than it does Taco Bell as a whole."
Having worked in the food service industry, I can tell you that you don't want to know what goes on at ANY establishment after close. As long as there's plausible deniability, people will keep coming to your restaurant.
In and of itself this video doesn't negatively effect the Taco Bell chain as a whole that much, and whatever effect there is surely is temporary.
If it's the first among a pattern of such videos, then TB might have a problem.
Food for thought. If you would see the pathetic and diseased state of the chickens and other animals factory "farmed" for your temporary and quick gratification, you would start carrying a lunch pail and buy simpler food from reputabale farms closer to home. The success of the fast food restaurants must rely on the consumer not really knowing--or caring-- what they are eating.
Huh. I went to the usually-busy Bell on Monday, and wondered why there was almost no one there...
I'm OUTRAGED at the number of Taco Bell resturants that are infected with this E-coli bacteria. It appears that this outbreak is not an isolated condition, or location. Taco Bells CEO's should ask themselves the following: "how safe is the food that is being prepared in our resturants? "cooked or undercooked? "are those vegetables washed throughly? if so, with what? "are the onions infected before or after delivery and finally, "did you wash your hands today?"
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TACO BELL AND CLEAN UP YOUR RESTURANTS.
It's very difficult for a company that franchises to be held accountable as a chain, for the actions (or inactions) of one franchise owner. I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around...especially the license and inspections of the restaurants and the differences from state to state. It appears something was overlooked since the restaurant supposedly received an acceptable rating the day before.
This needed to be handled differently and perhaps it IS too late, but something tells me that it's NOT an isolated incident and other chains may have similar or worse infestations that are being "overlooked" by the same inspectors.
But you've answered your own dilemma: Rats could be in *any* restaurant, any chain, any little mom and pop, if the management sucks. What you don't describe is whether Taco Bell's overall management strategies for franchisees encourage such loathsome behavior.
I am sorry, no matter how you look at it. Taco Bell has clearly had two issues within the past couple of months... Seriously, is this was large companies do, blame the owners of each locations and slide by in the mean while. I absolutely love Taco Bell (Nacho Bellgrande, extra cheese, no tomatoes), however, how can an educated and loyal customer over look their obvious health and food conditions. I have never worked in the food industry, but I am not only disgusted by the "rats"/"E-coli" but the company as a whole. **THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS**
Hey people.....you're overlooking the big picture here. Do you really think that TB is the only fast food chain that has these problems?? Good grief......nearly all fast food chains use the same criteria to do their hiring. Thes place are some of the most undesirable places one could ever indulge in dining at.It's just that TB is the one that has got caught....for now.
If blame is to be placed (as it should be in these situations)...it is largely the owner/managers responsibility. Secondly, the municipal and state inspectors should loose their jobs!!
I've read quite a bit on this across the web, but the commenter below is the first person I've seen ask about the KFC. If this is a split operation why is it that only TB is taking the blame here? I've been guilty of this too; never once thinking, "eww,no more KFC," (well not for the rat problems anyway.) I want to say that it's because of the previous E. Coli outbreak making this a chain of events, but I would guess that reactions would be the same even if the rats video were the only problem. Does TB just have a reputation that teeters so close the bad side so much that people are ready to assume the worst about them only?
No one should be eating that crap anyways! Have you people looked at yourself in the mirror? Treat your body better than this and eat healthful meals.
I live clear on the other side of the country in WA state.
Just got out of the hospital after being ill for 10 days.
4 days prior, ate at the local TB for a grilled stuft chicken burrito. Nausea, vomiting, the runs, fever,fatigue then dehydration overtook me.
Was just diagnosed today with Campylobacter food poisoning. (I ate chicken feces according to my dr.) Dropped from a slim 130 lb build to a sickly 120 lbs and am too weak to walk.
I can't be 100 percent positive the GSCB was the cause but the other 4 members of my family - who didn't eat chicken - never became ill.
We will never eat at TB or any other fast food again. I'm a semi vegetarian (nothing with four legs) now I think I might cut out all "legs" out of my diet.
We ate at T.B. last night (June 14) - grilled stuft chicken burrito and soft taco/ chicken quesadilla combo - a few hours later the stomach cramps began. Stopped for a while, then came on again at about 7 a.m. this morning. It's been over 24 hours and still sick. NEVER again, Taco Bell.