Taco Bell is facing a nationwide ingredient shortage. It is running out of several basic items as customers flood its locations as the pandemic is subsiding and everything is opening. People are flush with cash saved up during the lockdowns are looking to spend it, but the demand is more than the supply.
During the pandemic, factories closed, workers lost jobs and the economy slowed down. Now that the lockdowns have been lifted across the nation, factories, industries and manufacturers are unable to cope with the increased demands. There is also a shortage of labor.
As restaurants, sports stadiums and food halls have opened there is an increased demand for food. However, due to a shortage of production, raw and finished food products are unavailable in such large quantities and announcements of food shortages are posted.
Taco Bell has posted a message on its website. It apologizes for its smaller menu. The announcement says that the company is sorry that it could not feed customers’ “current crave.” They explain their position by saying that they could be out of some items due to national ingredient shortages as well as delays in delivery.
Regular customers of Taco Bell have posted their experiences of shortages on social media at various locations across the nation. They speak of shortages of beef, chicken, sour cream, sauce packets, sodas, tortillas and more.
Last week, Popeyes had announced that it had been building up chicken stocks for six months in anticipation of the launch of its new food item – Chicken Nuggets. It built up stock as it was aware that it could face a shortfall in ingredients as well as higher raw material rates. Demand for chicken is currently very high. Prices are spiking and restaurants are struggling with increased food and labor costs.
Last week, the labor department said that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has risen 5.4 percent in twelve months through June. The last time it was so high was thirteen years ago in August 2008. Federal authorities as well as the Biden administration say that the increase in inflation is a temporary response to shortages in supply. They believe that the economy will quickly bounce back.
