Taco Bell Employee Busted for Licking Shells

Ever swap spit with a Taco Bell employee? Think twice before answering -- especially if you've had food from the restaurant recently. Taco Bell is now investigating a photo that was posted to the fast food chain's Facebook page of an employee licking a stack of taco shells.

According to a representative for T-Bell, they immediately contacted the particular restaurant that this photo was taken at to stop serving the food. On top of an investigation, action will be taken against all parties involved.

Many comments on the Facebook page are defending the employee, and even Taco Bell itself has said the likelihood that this is just a prank. Maybe the pic showed taco shells that were meant to be thrown out. Regardless, what can other small businesses learn from this unsanitary (real or not) practice?

Social media management

For all your social media outlets that your businesses might have, make sure they are properly managed. This way, if an incriminating post goes up, it’ll be caught right away or filtered first. This is important, especially these days when almost every business has at least one social media account. While there’s no way to control comments by others from being posted, your business does reserve the right to remove and regulate what is posted.

Proper Training

While it’s impossible to have security cameras installed everywhere, certain security and training measures at the workplace should still be taken. This does not require extreme micro-managing or hovering over your employees, but rather just being cautious enough in that trial period of a new employee. Partnering a new person with someone more seasoned as a mentor is always a good way keep a real eye on things, and can prove helpful for the new employee.

Background checks

It’s always important to conduct proper background checks. Regardless of how hopeful or positive your outlook, it’s just impossible to really know about someone you’ve never met. An appropriate pre-employment background check can easily help you make your decision. Often times, finding red flags such as a criminal history or credit background, that would otherwise be unknown to you, can help prevent future liability.

Related Resources:

• Taco Bell Worker Appears To Be Licking A Bunch Of Taco Shells In This Facebook Picture (The Huffington Post)
• The Hiring Process (FindLaw)
• Background Checks Do’s and Don’t’s (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
• Inmate Sues Taco bell for Stealing Doritos Locos Tacos Idea (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)