Taco Bell offers $1 lettuce-free menu item as it tries to win back customers

Taco Bell offered $1 lettuce-free Enchiritos on Wednesday, rolling out the one-day promotion as the chain works to reassure customers following a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some of its restaurants.

The chain promoted the returning menu item as a gesture "for those who've been riding with us" and said the $1 offer was intended to show its appreciation for customers.

The Enchirito - a flour tortilla filled with seasoned beef, beans and onions, then topped with red sauce and cheese - debuted in 1970. Its name blends "enchilada" and "burrito," and the item does not normally include lettuce. It is typically sold for $3.99 to $5.49, depending on the restaurant's location.

The company did not explicitly connect the promotion to the outbreak.

The offer was available at participating restaurants through closing time Wednesday, while supplies lasted, with a limit of five Enchiritos per order. Rewards members could also receive $1 Nacho Fries with an Enchirito purchase through the Taco Bell app.

The promotion came less than a week after Taco Bell said it had completed the removal of affected Taylor Farms lettuce from all of its restaurants and from its nationwide supply chain.

Federal epidemiological and traceback evidence has linked iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico to a five-state outbreak centered on Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. 

Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico that was distributed to 27 states.

The outbreak has presented Taco Bell with a significant food safety and public relations challenge. Customer visits nationwide July 17 were more than 30% below the chain's average Friday traffic from earlier in the year, according to location analytics company Placer.ai.

Taco Bell has not disclosed its own sales or customer traffic figures since the outbreak began.

The company previously told customers that all affected lettuce had been removed and encouraged them to return, declaring in a social media statement: "So go ahead and enjoy your Taco Bell today."

Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant also said the company would be transparent about its response.

"We aren't entitled to your loyalty," Tresvant wrote on LinkedIn. "We earn it one meal at a time."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 4,173 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis had been recorded across the United States since May 1. 

The agency was also reviewing more than 7,400 additional illnesses, many reported by Michigan and Ohio.

At least 308 people with confirmed infections were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Those national figures include the Taco Bell-linked outbreak as well as other clusters and illnesses that may have unrelated sources.

The Food and Drug Administration reported over the weekend that a lettuce sample initially described as positive for cyclospora was determined upon review to be a false positive. 

The agency said that laboratory correction did not change the epidemiological and traceback evidence linking illnesses to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can spread through food or water contaminated with human feces. It causes an intestinal illness marked by watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite. Symptoms can persist for weeks without treatment.

Taylor Farms' recall remains in effect, and consumers should discard or return affected iceberg lettuce products. The CDC says people with persistent watery diarrhea may need to specifically request testing because routine stool tests do not always screen for cyclospora.

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