Taco Bell Employee Fired: Fast Food Chain Confirms Man Who Licked Taco Shells Is Getting The Ax

The Taco Bell employee from California who took a picture of himself licking taco shells is getting fired, the fast food franchise confirmed Monday. “Our franchise is responsible for the employment and conduct of his restaurant’s employees, and he has informed us that he immediately suspended the employee shown in the photo and is in the process of terminating his employment," they wrote on their official website.

The infamous picture, which was posted to Taco Bell’s Facebook page on Monday, was posted by J.J. O’Brien Nolan.

This sure says a lot about your employees, food treatment and what they post on the Internet," the photo caption of the gross image read. It is unclear who the employee is, but he works in Ridgecrest, Calif.

“We have strict food handling procedures and zero tolerance for any violations,” the company responded on Facebook. “When we learned of the situation, we immediately contacted this restaurant’s leadership, and, although we believe it is a prank and the food was not served to customers, we are conducting a full-scale investigation and will be taking swift action against those involved.”

A company spokesman later said in a statement to CNBC, “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members.”