Taco Bell’s traffic was down 12.2% from July 6 to Sept. 11 compared to the same period last year | Photo courtesy of Taco Bell
Taco Bell has thrown plenty of spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks as it continues to recover traffic from the July cyclospora outbreak that sickened nearly 20,000 people nationwide.
The chain’s iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms was identified as a source and, though Taco Bell pulled several ingredients from its menu early in the outbreak, it didn’t insulate the brand from a major traffic decline in those first couple of weeks. According to data from Placer.ai, visits were down 18.1% on July 15, nearly a week after restaurants began removing ingredients like lettuce, cilantro-onion mix, and pico de gallo.
By July 17, Taco Bell’s traffic plummeted even further — to -30.9% compared to the day of week average from Jan.1 to July 6, 2026.
That’s a story for any brand in the industry, let alone one that has consistently outpaced its peers on sales and traffic for the past several years. But with deep pockets, Taco Bell was able to respond by offering a flurry of promotions such as $1 Enchiritos (which are typically about $4.29) and $1 Mexican Pizzas (which are typically about $5.69).
The chain has also publicly thanked its massive fan base that has remained largely loyal — at least on social media. That said, new data from Placer.ai shows that such public declarations haven’t yet translated to a full traffic comeback.
From July 6, when the outbreak first made national news, through Sept. 11, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over, Taco Bell’s visits per location remained down 12.2% year-over-year.
In a statement, R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, said fast-casual chains like Cava, Sweetgreen, and Chipotle have “generally outperformed” the broader category in visits per location during this timeframe. However, quick-service chains were more mixed. Burger King posted growth, while McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Subway saw declines.
“Chains tied to the cyclospora outbreak, including Taco Bell, saw visits per location fall over the same period,” he said.
Executives at parent company Yum Brands were far more optimistic during the company’s second quarter earnings call in July. Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said sales declines moderated “materially” by the end of the month and day-over-day sales trends had improved steadily.
“If you take the average sales for the last four days, we are halfway back to sales levels of the prior year, so we take some comfort in the early momentum,” he said on July 30.
During Barclays annual Global Consumer Staples Conference earlier this month, Roy said the chain’s recovery remains on plan.
“That means sequential week-over-week improvement in sales trends,” he said. “At this point, we see several days with positive sales in the U.S., which gives us confidence in the future. There’s not a victory lap yet, but I think we have confidence that the long-term potential for Taco Bell remains unchanged.”
Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso
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