What Taco Bell Learned From Chipotle's Mistakes Amid Cyclospora Outbreak

In the News
July 17, 2026

What Taco Bell Learned From Chipotle's Mistakes Amid Cyclospora Outbreak

What the E. coli outbreak of 2015 taught the restaurant industry—and what it didn't

As Taco Bell faces scrutiny amid a Cyclospora outbreak, Sooth Founder & CEO Ian Baer talks with ADWEEK to unpack the PR playbook — and what's changed since Chipotle's 2015 E. coli crisis. Baer breaks down why Chipotle's biggest misstep was waiting for certainty before speaking and why the information void a brand leaves behind can be more damaging than the crisis itself.

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