Hungry for customers, Taco Bell is offering $1 lettuce-free deals

By Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN

(CNN) — Taco Bell’s business has taken a major hit after lettuce served at the chain was linked to the cyclospora outbreak. To win back wary customers, the company is now offering enchiritos and regular nacho fries for $1 each — items sans lettuce.

The one-day-only deal announced Wednesday follows a slump in customer visits at Taco Bell locations across the country.

Daily foot traffic dropped nearly 31% on July 17, when federal health officials identified the chain as part of the investigation into the diarrhea outbreak, according to nationwide data from Placer.ai. The next day, it was down 30%.

Other chains have also seen foot traffic decline in recent days, but nowhere near as pronounced as Taco Bell. Shares of Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands, have fallen by about 9% from a week ago.

Taco Bell didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment.

The company announced the $1 enchirito deal in an Instagram video that displays social media comments purportedly from users who support Taco Bell.

“For the ones who’ve been riding with us $1 enchiritos just dropped,” the post said.

Enchiritos previously cost $4.29, while regular nacho fries were $2.89. The $1 deal on the fries is only available for orders placed through Taco Bell’s app.

“Every decision we make is about doing what’s right for the people we serve,” Taco Bell’s CEO, Sean Tresvant, said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. “This means bringing the right people together, asking the hard questions and doing the work to help build a stronger food system.”

“We aren’t entitled to your loyalty. We earn it one meal at a time,” he added in his post, one day before the deal was announced.

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