Editor's note: This article was updated Oct. 25, 2024 to note that Illegal Pete's has restored onions to its menu, using a new supplier that has not been connected to the E. coli outbreak at McDonald's.
Local chain restaurants including Illegal Pete's and Taco Bell are temporarily removing onions from its menu amid a recall and concerns about an E. coli outbreak at fast-food giant McDonald's.
Illegal Pete’s received notice from its supplier on Wednesday of an onion recall due to "potential E.coli contamination," according to Illegal Pete's officials. The Denver-based burrito chain also posted signs telling customers about the change. By Friday, the chain had sourced onions from a new supplier and had returned to its regular menu.
There is no sign that anyone has been sickened, and company officials believe that their onion supplier issued the recall as a precaution. It may be one of many restaurants to be affected by recalls after an outbreak at McDonald's stores was linked to dozens of illnesses and one death in Colorado.
In the south Denver metro, at least one Taco Bell operated by Alvarado Restaurant Nation similarly said that it was temporarily not serving onions “out of an abundance of caution.”
Illegal Pete's typically uses onions from the same source, Taylor Farms, that has been linked to the McDonald's outbreak, as do many other restaurants. However, Illegal Pete's was not necessarily directly exposed to the outbreak, according to president and founder Pete Turner. Illegal Pete's has since brought in onion products form different growers.
"It's important to note that we don't use a diced/sliced white onion product that has been identified as the source at McDonald's," Turner wrote in an email to Denverite. The company instead buys peeled white onions from Taylor Farms through the distributor US Farms.
"Taylor Farms has issued a blanket recall on their white onion product from a certain lots, as seen in the attached letter. We believe Taylor Farms is doing this through an abundance of caution and we agree with the decision," Turner wrote.
After hearing about the recall, Illegal Pete's management contacted each of its stores and told managers to follow the recall process, disposing of the onions and any food prepped with the onions.
State health officials said they are unaware of any reports of illness linked to Illegal Pete's. Local health officials didn't immediately respond to comment. Alvarado Restaurant Nation couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. US Farms and Taylor Farms didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Oct. 23, 2024, at 7 p.m. with additional information.
