Taco Bell’s CEO Finally Acknowledged The Lettuce Situation (And Here’s Our Take)

I am very pro “don’t be sympathetic to big corporations.” They hold so much power in our world that your energy is certainly better off worrying and supporting the mom and pop shop down the road. That said, I do have a staunch passion for doing the right thing. These two ways of thinking have taken me to a real crossroads: Taco Bell has done the right thing, but it pains me to admit it.

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Let’s Talk About The Facts

I won’t bore you with all the details. We can sum up Taco Bell’s reaction to the news that lettuce that they were serving up was pretty damn good for a large corporation where the bottom line is the main concern. They were serving lettuce as intended. The only way to avoid the parasite was by cooking it. Who the hell cooks their lettuce?

It’s not Taco Bell’s fault that their supplier was ground zero for the outbreak. And what did they do when they found out about the outbreak? They pulled lettuce from their menu entirely while they figured out an alternative source. I can appreciate the effort that they put into it.

The CEO Chimed In

After the McDonald’s CEO debacle, fast food CEOs have gotten more time in the spotlight. That led Taco Bell’s man in charge, Sean Tresvant, to take to LinkedIn to give a statement on the lettuce contamination. To sum things up, he shared his thanks for the support that customers have shown them through the situation.

Of course he also fit in a little public relations blurb about how fast Taco Bell acted in the middle of it. Overall, it was an effective piece. It did take a bit to post but that’s certainly because it had to go through many rounds of eyes before being posted.

I do have one gripe with the wording of the post but that’s mainly a plea to my fellow customers. You need to get a grip! Taco Bell’s CEO shared the company’s thanks to the love that customers shared through posts, comments, stories. He then went on to say “[To] the community that said, ‘we’ve got you.’ The fans who said they ‘can’t quit us.’ We appreciate every bit of that energy.”

Stand Up! Think For Yourselves

You (well, hopefully not literally you, dear trusted reader) are gushing over a company that’s just a bunch of greedy suits in a board room disguised in a trench coat. Take that energy and give it to the local restaurant who can’t sell their locally grown produce because people are fearful of it when they have nothing to do with the Taylor Farms outbreak!

Please, I beg of you. I appreciate supporting something you believe in. I really do. And I want to give Taco Bell their flowers for the action they took. But we don’t need to get on our knees and kiss their feet. They’re still just a greedy corporation that would sell you out for a dollar.