If you’ve been following the news recently, you’ve probably been worried about your stomach—especially if you’re a fan of Taco Bell.
In early July, the CDC warned that there was a parasite going around the United States causing explosive diarrhea. After two weeks of searching, the CDC appears to have found a major source of the parasite: a farm in Mexico from which Taylor Farms, an American supplier, gets some of its lettuce.
Why is this an issue? Because Taylor Farms is a supplier to Taco Bell—meaning that, if you had explosive diarrhea after eating Taco Bell, it might not be solely because you ate five Chalupa Supremes in one sitting.
As the news has become dominated by stories of the cyclosporiasis parasite, some are wondering if there will be other chain restaurants affected. Moreover, others are questioning whether any fast-food chain is safe from potential contamination, either from this parasite or otherwise.
Now, a user on TikTok is issuing a warning about Pizza Hut. Is it true?
What’s Wrong With Pizza Hut?
In a video with over 1.3 million views, TikTok user Willy (@willydfromdyt) says “if you care about your health at all, don’t eat Pizza Hut.”
While he notes in the caption that he is just sharing his personal experience, he says that there are links between Taco Bell and Pizza Hut that should cause concern.
“Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell all have the same supplier,” he explains. “In the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that whenever I eat anything from work for my employee meal, I get physically sick. Every time. Mind you, I have IBS, but nothing else makes me that sick.”
After noting he’s already put in his two weeks’ notice, Willy says there are labor issues at his store.
“They underpay and overwork you in the time you’re there because they’re not willing to give you overtime,” he explains.
However, his primary concern is the safety and quality of the food.
“I feel terrible serving people this food and I’m not really even allowed to say s— about it,” he explains. “And even before this, just due to the general quality of the food, I felt bad about feeding people.”
He Shows The Kitchen
In a follow-up video, Willy goes through the kitchen of his Pizza Hut location and notes a litany of issues therein.
To start, he shows the preparation area. While he says it does not look bad on the surface, he claims that, “you can pull all these out and underneath there, I guarantee you it’s dirty as f—-,” noting it has “mold.”
As the video continues, he shows dirty floors, an accumulation of garbage, dishes left over from the night crew, and more.
“Oh, and Kitchen Nightmares moment: All of this mold in the walk-in, over all of the racks,” he says, showing the racks of a walk-in. There does appear to be mold or another substance covering the shelves. “It’s f—— ridiculous.”
He concludes by advising against eating at Pizza Hut, KFC, or Taco Bell.
Is This True?
At the time of writing, there is no link between the reported Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite outbreak and Pizza Hut.
While Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are both owned by Yum! Brands, this does not mean that they use the same suppliers for all of their ingredients.
Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, the supply chain management firm for Yum! Brands, says it negotiates pricing for over 22,000 different products for the company’s restaurants. While there may be overlap between different chains, that does not mean that they are all using the same base ingredients.
As for the cleanliness of the restaurant, these do appear to be an issue. However, it’s unclear if this is an issue nationwide or simply at Willy’s location. There are individual reports of Pizza Hut locations having cleanliness issues. There is not enough data to suggest that this is a brand-wide problem.
Regarding Willy’s claims that he becomes sick after eating at his location, it could be related to cleanliness issues, though this is impossible to determine without additional information.
In short, if you’re concerned solely about the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite, it seems that Pizza Hut is still unaffected. Other issues may be present, but they can’t be established nationwide.
People Avoid The Hut
In the comments section, users shared their views on the TikToker’s claims made about Pizza Hut.
“I ALWAYS get sick from Pizza Hut,” a user exclaimed. “ALWAYS!
“I stopped eating Pizza Hut years ago because it made me nauseous,” another added.
“Stop going to pizza hut ever since I found a baked fly in my pizza,” offered a third. “It’s been years.”
@willydfromdyt #pizzahut #diarrheavirus #health DISCLAIMER I AM NOT A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL AND IM NOT PRESENTING THIS AS FACT. IM JUST SHARING MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
BroBible reached out to Willy via Instagram direct message and email, and Pizza Hut via email.