Give a Hand to Taco Bell!

           Imagine this, you are sitting in your office on a normal work day and BAM, you receive a phone call and your day has now been turned upside down.  A crisis in your industry has just been leaked and it is your responsibility as part of the public relations staff to act as quickly and as ethical as possible.  Figuring out the best way to act on a situation that may or may not save the company you are working for is definitely a major obstacle in the public relations field.   Being ethical and responsible for the actions of your company can really help a business maintain their legitimate and professional reputation. 
          In the fast food industry, one focus that came to my mind that represented a time of quick ethical action was the Taco Bell E.coli incident.  In 2006, a E.coli outbreak was linked back to a Taco Bell restaurant in Philadelphia.  Followed by that, at least 22 people tested positive for E.coli in New Jersey and then the outbreak continued on into Long Island.  In this situation, I feel Taco Bell had two options here; either take full responsibility for the issue and find a solution as quickly and repairable as possible.  Or deny that it had anything to do with Taco Bell’s product and go on with normal activity without making any kind of statement.  This article discusses the actions that Taco Bell did in fact take after the E.coli outbreak.  The company spokesman Rob Poetsch stated in the article, “We have taken every precaution, including temporarily closing the restaurant until the investigation is completed, as nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our customers and employees.”  I personally think Taco Bell did exactly what they had to do here.  The company took full responsibility for what had happened, and made sure the public knew that they cared.  This is a great example of a ethical, quick action being made.  Taco Bell was able to survive this E.coli crisis by coming out and being completely honest and aware of the issue to the public.  Another article that I came upon describes what steps Taco Bell took after the incident had passed in order to ensure customers that this was not going to happen again.  I believe this was another great PR tactic on Taco Bell‘s part.  The President Greg Creed made a statement in a news release that stated “I want to reassure our customers that it is absolutely safe to eat at Taco Bell.” The company also planned to create a coalition of government regulators, competitors, suppliers and other experts to develop improved guidelines.  I give a hand to Taco Bell for completely picking up the pieces of their own mess in this situation.   Their ability to remain ethical in a time of stress really helps them maintain the reputation they have today.
          On another completely different topic of ethics, I started to think about the whole fast food chain industry on a whole.  Is this really a valuable service catering to consumer needs?  Yes, McDonald's for example, does offer a service that is inexpensive and easy accessible for people who don’t have time to cook meals.  And today, so many parents work all day and just don’t have the time to cook meals for their children at night. So what’s wrong with going to McDonald’s three times a week?  A growing health issue is the problem that I’m not sure everyone realizes.  For me, growing up, McDonald's had always been a once in a while treat for my brothers and I whenever we behaved well.  I just don’t understand how people go to these fast food chains two, three times a week and don’t expect major health issues in the long run?  I also think it’s clever how McDonald’s advertises more toward kids. Ethical, no but clever yes.  You have the big goofy Ronald McDonald character and the commercials for Happy Meals and the toy that you receive if you just come to McDonald’s!  These marketing skills result in eating habits that last a lifetime.  So is it right for McDonald’s to draw in young children so that they grow a habit to the unhealthy eating trends?  That is a question I guess no one can answer.  It’s the same as saying is it right for cigarette adds to target more toward teens to draw them in?  These are all issues of ethics that are left open for discussion.