Taco Bell is offering its Mexican pizza for $1 on Tuesday at participating locations, the second deep-discount promotion the chain has run since a multistate parasite outbreak was linked to its lettuce supplier.
The one-day deal comes as foot traffic at Taco Bell locations dropped roughly 30% following a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to its lettuce supplier
Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty
Taco Bell is offering its Mexican pizza for $1 on Tuesday at participating locations, the second deep-discount promotion the chain has run since a multistate parasite outbreak was linked to its lettuce supplier.
The Mexican pizza, which runs between $5.39 and $6.99 depending on location under normal circumstances, is made of seasoned beef and refried beans sandwiched between two crispy flour tortillas and finished with taco sauce, diced tomatoes and cheese. The discounted price of $1, plus tax, applies at participating locations — whether ordering at the counter, a kiosk, or via the Taco Bell app or website — until 11:59 p.m. PT, subject to availability, with a one-per-account limit. Rewards members can also get a $1 regular or medium drink through the app on the same day, according to WTHR.
Like the $1 Enchirito deal the chain offered on July 22, the Mexican pizza contains no lettuce. Taco Bell has made no public statement connecting either promotion to the outbreak, according to WTHR.
The deals come as Taco Bell works to recover lost foot traffic after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration linked shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states to a cyclosporiasis outbreak on July 16. The parasitic illness can cause prolonged watery diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. On a recent Friday, customer visits to Taco Bell were down about 30% against the chain's typical Friday benchmark for the year.
Taco Bell removed all Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants on July 17. "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide," the company said in a statement.
Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17. Days later, the FDA said a lettuce sample that had initially tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive after further lab review, though the recall remained in effect. The agency stressed, however, that the erroneous result had no bearing on its overall findings: epidemiological data and supply-chain tracing still identified Taylor Farms' central Mexico shredded iceberg lettuce as the probable source of the outbreak.
As of July 24, the CDC reported 1,947 people sick with cyclosporiasis who had also reported eating at Taco Bell across nine states, with illness start dates ranging from June 22 to July 20. The agency noted the true number of cases is likely higher than reported.
Taco Bell is a unit of Yum! Brands. Yum! Brands stock fell nearly 10% over the week of July 13 to 17.
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