Angry reactions in Texas to shortages at Sonic and raising Cane’s highlights need for food security after 'outage' at supplier
Fast food chains Sonic and Raising Cane's recently issued apologies to customers and business partners following a system outage that forced the closure of their stores across the Southern United States, with many people in Texas expressing their frustration on social media.
The chicken shortage was caused by a system outage affecting the distribution company Ben E. Keith, which left Raising Cane's and Sonic unable to provide their usual menu items, including chicken fingers and Sonic Blasts.
Here's what happened
The Daily Mail explains what happened:
"Staffers cited an 'outage' currently being felt at Fort-Worth based Ben E. Keith, which on Monday issued a statement confirming issues with their systems, that left trucks unable to make deliveries for days."
Texans expressed their frustrations on social media, noting that the restaurants were only selling box combos and were out of their favorite menu items.
Reactions to the shortages varied, with some customers expressing frustration, while others demonstrated understanding and empathy.
One San Antonio resident, Pepper Patterson, wrote on Facebook:
"Raising Cane's have suffered from a supply issue for several days. I have seen (1) Nothing but 'we are closed signs on the door, (2) We are only selling the box combos, no coleslaw, no lemonade signs when you reach the menu, (3) Lines of cars finding out what they have left and to place their order."
Raising Cane's addressed the issue in its own statement, apologizing for any inconvenience caused to customers and business partners.
Meanwhile, Sonic has yet to confirm whether the shortage was due to its distributor's system outage, but the company did issue a statement noting that it had shut down systems in response to 'unusual activity' on its network.
The fragility of food systems
In a post entitled, Was Ben E. Keith hacked? What we know about a possible cyber attack on the food distributor, they post a statement from the supplier:
"Ben E. Keith recently detected unusual activity in our network. In response, we proactively disabled business systems to minimize risk for our business and our customers. We understand that our customers, employees, and business partners have been impacted by the outage and continue to work around the clock to fully restore our systems and operations. Our employees, customers and their customers are our top priority, and we are committed to getting back to business as usual as soon as possible."
This incident highlights the fragility of our food systems and the importance of food security.
Although the disruption was unintended, it serves as a reminder of how easily food systems can be disrupted, leaving people without access to adequate, safe, and healthy food.
However, the incident at Sonic and Raising Cane's highlights the need for greater investment in food supply chains to ensure that everyone has access to adequate, safe, and healthy food.
This is a developing story. However, the incident at Sonic and Raising Cane's raises important questions about how we can achieve food security for all.
What do you think about this?
Have you been affected by the chicken shortages? Share your honest thoughts on this topic by leaving a comment below, and let your friends and family know about it through social media.
Disclaimer: This article is only for educational and informational purposes.
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