Taco Bell and other fast food chains hit by Nationwide Food shortages

The menu at Taco Bell may be a bit limited these days, with the quick-service restaurant chain warning customers that it might not be able to fulfill their current appetite hankerings.  In an apology offered in an orange banner atop its website, Taco Bell declared: “Sorry if we can’t feed your current crave. Due to national ingredient shortages and delivery delays, we may be out of some items.”

Those who frequent Taco Bell turned to social media to share their culinary disappointment.  More specifically, a deluge of complaints on social media pointed to a lack of beef, chicken, hot sauce and 10-inch tortillas at the Yum Brands division, which runs nearly 7,500 Taco Bells, most of them in the U.S.

“Taco Bell has a ‘district-wide shortage of hot sauce…times are tough,” tweeted one patron. “For anyone craving Taco Bell tonight, I’ll save you the drive, they don’t have chicken or beef, national shortage or something. I just ate black beans in a hard shell,” complained another in a separate tweet.

Similar complaints were lodged on Reddit, with one person stating, “They couldn’t make any burritos since they were out of 10″ tortillas, and none of the tacos had lettuce or tomato on them. I went back through the drive through and asked about it and they said they are pretty much out of anything that comes fresh.”

Reached for comment, Taco Bell declined to specify what items were in short supply and how wide-ranging the problems might be.  But the chain did issue an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch, where they wrote “Due to national transportation delays happening throughout most of the industry, we may temporarily be out of some items. Apologies for the inconvenience and we hope to feed fans’ current Taco Bell cravings again soon.”

That said, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs recently spoke about the strong national appetite for chicken sandwiches amid a general tightening in domestic poultry supply, stating in an earnings call in late April, “Our main challenge has been keeping up with that demand.”

Yum Brands is not alone is finding it difficult to keep its eateries stocked. In May, Chick-fil-A found itself rationing its dipping sauces at its 2,600 locations across the country, citing “industrywide supply chain disruptions.”  And if you happen to order at a Starbucks Drive-Thru, you just may see a sign posted to the window apologizing for possible menu items being unavailable due to food supply issues.

For months, restaurants and fast food chains have been complaining of tight supplies and labor shortages, as hotels, meat processors and the trucking industry remain hindered by a lack of workers. Yet another thing we have to blame the global pandemic for as we try to climb our way out of 2020.

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