Taco Bell and McAlister's: Damage control done well

Reporters.

 

They're great when they write positive reviews about your latest menu item. But how favorable are they when a tragic incident like an E. coli outbreak occurs at your restaurant? Not so much, you're probably thinking.

 

Well, just because the media calls, you should never act like you have something to hide, experts say.

 

"After something happens, always have a statement ready for the press," said Rhonda Sanderson, president of Sanderson & Associates, a franchise and restaurant specialty PR firm.

 

In the past month, two national restaurant chains have been linked to E. coli outbreaks, but both companies have handled both the crisis and the negative publicity well.

 

After a North Carolina McAlister's Deli was linked to nine cases, the chain's chief executive, Phillip Friedman, set his crisis communications team into action and started answering questions — publicly. Sanderson, his PR confidant, said that was a great move.

"There should be one or two spokespeople appointed to speak with the press," she said. "After that, it becomes too difficult to keep responses consistent — a necessity if you are to have credibility. They should either be the franchise owner, or a spokesperson from HQ. Under no circumstances should employees be speaking to the press. It is not their responsibility or area of expertise."

There were relatively few media inquires about McAlister's incident. After all, with 200-plus stores, the fast casual is small potatoes compared to an international player like Taco Bell, which had a New Jersey store linked to a Dec. 3 E. coli breakout.

"As soon as we learned of an E.coli issue, we immediately began working with state and county health officials to assist in their investigation," said Greg Creed, Taco Bell president, in a statement prepared Dec. 4. "As a precautionary measure, we voluntarily closed one restaurant in Middlesex County, New Jersey, and four in Suffolk County, New York."

 

As soon as Taco Bell had proof the bacteria was removed from the building, it met with the media and investors.

 

 

"The E. coli strain appears to have passed through our system," Tim Jerzyk, Yum's vice president of investor relations, said at a meeting with Wall Street analysts on Tuesday.

 

Jerzyk added that there was "no immediate threat to consumers today" and said the company is continuing to work with health officials. Of course, Taco Bell belongs to a publicly traded company — Yum Brands — and there's great pressure to turn a profit. But LeAnn Chuboff, director of science and regulatory relations for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), said when a crisis management plan is in place, even companies that face foodborne illness disasters can handle the crush of concerns in an orderly fashion.

 

When a single Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant faced a foodborne illness outbreak that sickened 660 people in late 2003, Chuboff said the company was well prepared and handled the backlash admirably.

 

"They worked so well with their community when that happened," Chuboff said. "And because of what they did with the community before and after the outbreak, the day they reopened, there was a line of people out the door waiting to eat there."

 

The worst thing a restaurant can do is not cooperate with the health department, said Rosemary Summers, health director of Orange County, N.C., who led the McAlister's investigation.

 

"Most restaurant folks want to make sure they have covered everything," Summers said. "They want to find out as much as we do."

 

Don't help out the health department and you could face fines and possibly criminal charges. And of course, you look bad.

 

"I'm real stern about this to my clients, so they cooperate. Another bad thing to do is say to the media, 'no comment,' " Sanderson said. "Anybody who doesn't return calls is immediately considered guilty. From a PR standpoint, it's the worst thing you can do – no matter how big you are."

 

Sanderson, who has executed crisis communications plans for Subway, Houlihan's and Jamba Juice, laid out a simple seven-step E. coli PR plan that should help any operator.

 

1)    Select a spokesperson with a warm, sympathetic quality about them, not someone who is aloof and typically "businesslike" in his/her demeanor.

 

2)    Never give an answer of "no comment" or "we can't answer that." Always have a statement ready. Something like, "There is an ongoing investigation and we are fully cooperating with health officials. As soon as we have more information, we will let you know."

 

3)    Direct managers or employees to be very cooperative without giving much information. Have them say, "Oh, can I please have your name and number? I will have the owner get back to you right away on this. What's your deadline?" 

4)    Managers or employees should not say to the press, "I am not allowed to answer any questions", but should say, "I really don't have the whole picture, and we want you to have accurate information." 

 

5)    If there is an obvious "outbreak," cooperate fully with the health department. In this case, answering the press in a caring manner is your utmost priority. Instead of admitting to anything, you might say, "We have no idea where this outbreak originated, but we are working hand in hand with the health department because our customers are our highest priority," or something to that effect.

 

6)    Don't get too defensive, no matter what the issue. People are usually very sympathetic to the plight of a small business owner, if the person appears to be a caring individual.

 

7)     You don't ever have to admit to wrongdoing and shouldn't if there is possible liability involved. However, everyone makes mistakes and the best answer to most crisis situations is, "We are looking into this, and if we find a problem, we can promise it will be corrected."