Taco Bells rumored cyclospora outbreak is quietly becoming a financial crisis for hourly workers

They’re having a Crunchwrap crisis.A wave of anguished posts on the r/TacoBell subreddit has pulled back the tortilla wrap on Taco Bell turmoil, with gutted schedules, panicked staffers and a business reeling from the fallout of a Taylor Farms lettuce scare — even after quickly and responsibly pulling the produce that may be causing a nationwide cyclospora outbreak, which causes terrible diarrhea and dehydration in its victims.“I absolutely hate how every single article about Taylor Farms is mentioning Taco Bell and it’s affecting our business when at least in my area we removed the lettuce as a precaution weeks ago,” one self-identified manager vented in a popular post.The manager said the fallout has forced them to deliver a brutal string of bad news to employees about shrinking hours — right in the middle of what’s supposed to be a “core season” for the beloved fast food chain.“I’ve done nothing but deliver bad news to my employees about their hours all week and for the next week and it is completely stressing me out,” the alleged manager wrote, adding that shifts are running “extremely low and shorthanded,” so even the rare rush hour turns into a slog for whoever’s left on the clock.It’s bad enough, the manager said, that senior leadership is drawing comparisons to the darkest days of the pandemic.“I know that eventually, the public will trust Taco Bell again and everything will come back for the time being it is extremely slow and from what I hear from more of the senior management is that this is how Covid felt except at least there were more DoorDash orders,” said the online post.Behind the scenes, the human toll is piling up.

The manager described being flooded with texts from employees warning they can’t make rent on reduced hours — even on a day off.“I feel like I should be at the store helping them, but also I know that I need to rest because I worked the last eight days straight covering for the employees that w...