I have no idea how Taco Bell operates. But I knew a guy who worked at a donut place. He said his store kept all sorts of records on donuts made, cups handed out, soda dispensed, etc. Any shortfall had to be made up by the employees on duty.
I wonder if that played a part here.
A very long time ago I worked at Taco Bell. How long ago? Every item was 19ยข. Soda cups were counted since the cup cost just as much as the soda in it. The boss would occasionally weigh how much meat went into tacos—1 ounce, as I recall. Only put enough cheese to show some color.
Being in college I thought the boss was a jerk and he may have been, but now I realize how thin the margin was for the store to make money. The tills were expected to balance to the last cent. And we were expected to know how to ring up the orders and count change without computer assistance.
No one got shot at the stand in Isla Vista, California. Then again, none of the employees had punctuation marks as part of their name.