Taco Bell Employee Photo Shows Taco Shells Being Licked by Worker (PHOTO, VIDEO)
A Taco Bell employee has sparked anger from company executives after posting a photo of what appears to be an employee licking a stack of taco shells, which seemingly are being prepared for customers.
The photo has shocked many Taco Bell customers and the company moved quickly on Monday to try and defuse the obvious fallout from the picture.
After the photo was posted on Facebook, Cathy Marx, the manager of the Taco Bell in Ridgecrest., Calif. told CNBC: "We're currently dealing with it."
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According to CNBC the Taco Bell restaurant in question has currently been given an "A" rating from the County of Kern Public Health Services Department.
The offensive picture was posted to Facebook by an account with a username titled, "Jj O'Brien Nolan."
A company spokesperson has also emailed a statement to CNBC in response to the shocking photo: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members, and we have strict food handling procedures and zero tolerance for any violations."
The statement also added: "When we learned of the situation we immediately contacted this restaurant's leadership and although we believe it is a prank and the food was not served to customers, we are conducting a full scale investigation and will be taking swift action against those involved."
The company has told CNN that it believes the photo is simply a prank and that the tacos were not served to any customers.
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants, with company headquarters based in Irvine, California. The restaurant serves a variety of Tex-Mex foods including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value menu" items.
Taco Bell is reported to serve more than 2 billion customers each year in more than 5,800 restaurants in the U.S., more than 80 percent of which are owned and operated by independent franchisees.
Here is a video report into the shocking news:
