A TikTok video revealing a messy Taco Bell kitchen stirred outrage and debate in the comments.
What did the TikTok video show?
TikToker Chance (@young.tropical) posted a video that quickly gained traction on the video-sharing platform. In it, two employees behind the counter at a Taco Bell are organizing the items in the back and pushing a large cardboard box while chatting. The kitchen floor appeared littered with trash, making the fast-food restaurant look like it had never been cleaned.
In the caption, Chance wrote, “Do better @tacobell,” prompting hundreds of viewers to weigh in. The video has been viewed 230.7K times and has over 14.1K likes.
While the video lacked audio of the workers themselves, it clearly showed piles of trash and debris, raising questions about cleanliness, food safety, and staffing issues.
Commenters call out unsanitary Taco Bell kitchen conditions
The video divided TikTok. Many viewers expressed disgust, while others came to the staff’s defense. Some Taco Bell workers echoed the concern. “My manager would kill all of us if it ever got that messy,” one employee commented. “Yes, we have been understaffed during a rush but it ain’t never look like that 😭.”
However, others explained the situation. One user wrote, “They def just hit a 2 hour back to back rush at least and are obviously understaffed.” Another noted, “Bro is cleaning the fryer while you are recording […] once the other bro is done with orders he is going to continue sweeping.”
Folks were quick to call out the unsanitary conditions, however. One commenter wrote, “Why is everyone defending this. I’ve worked food service and this wouldn’t be acceptable in any way or on any day.” Another said, “Even being understaffed and having a rush doesn’t explain why it should be this messy.”
Others pointed out that corporate staffing models may contribute to the mess. One TikToker explained, “Staffing Taco Bell wants now is 3 members working each line […] during slow hours a service member does dishes and a line member does fryer. they have 4 by my count unless one is in the back doing dishes.”
Still, many commenters weren’t convinced. “Yall saying they’re understaff but where I worked we still had to keep the back tidy. Where have yall worked??😭”
One viewer summed it up with a balanced take, saying that while it’s messy, it is clear that the workers are actively trying to clean up the mess.
Despite some defending the workers, most viewers agreed that such visible messiness raises questions about hygiene.
@young.tropical Do better @tacobell #tacobell #nasty #dirty ♬ original sound – Chancetho1
@young.tropical and Taco Bell did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM and email, respectively.
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