Taco Bell, QSR and fast casual traffic plunges after Cyclospora lettuce recall

Traffic at Taco Bell and fast casual chains with salad-heavy menus took a significant hit due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to bagged lettuce. The traffic declines worsened following announcements by health authorities that linked lettuce served at Taco Bell directly to the outbreak.

Data from Placer.ai indicates a double-digit decline at Taco Bell starting on July 15, the day before the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tied the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at the chain across five states. Taco Bell acted quickly to remove shredded lettuce from Taylor Farms from its supply chain.

Cyclospora is a parasite that is transmitted through infected feces and can cause intestinal distress, including excessive diarrhea.

“Visitation trends decreased sharply at Taco Bell after the FDA & CDC named the chain in its investigation of the cyclosporiasis outbreak,” Placer.ai said in a statement. “While national visitation trends initially only fell low-single-digits compared to year-to-date day-of-week averages, those declines fell to the high teens in the latter part of last week.”

Taco Bell has otherwise had a decent year and has consistently outperformed other QSR chains in terms of same-store sales and traffic. However, the outbreak and consumer apprehension about eating at Taco Bell could break the chain’s ongoing streak of same-store sales growth.

Here’s what Placer.ai’s data shows about the impact the outbreak is having on fast casual chains Cava, Chopt, Chipotle and Panera, as well as the QSR segments.

Correction: In a previous version of this article based on a Placer.ai report, data for Taco Bell visits on July 16 and July 17 and data for Panera for July 16 was incorrect due to a bug detected in the original report. Placer.ai has corrected the report, and this story has been updated.