You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Taco Bell is Giving Out Free Food to Vaccinated Customers All you need to do is show proof of vaccination in order to get in on the free grub.

By Emily Rella

entrepreneur daily

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

Taco Bell fans have a reason to celebrate again after the beloved Quesalupa was removed from menus again after a brief revival.

The cause for excitement this time around? Free food, of course.

The chain announced that California residents who are vaccinated against Covid-19 are eligible to receive a free seasoned beef Nacho Cheese Doritos® Locos Taco at participating California Taco Bell locations on June 15.

Related: Ohio Vaccine Lottery -- Five Vaccinated Residents Will Win $1 Million

All you need to do is show proof of vaccination to get the free grub.

"We are all ready to put Covid-19 behind us," says Taco Bell CEO Mark King. "We are thrilled to do our part and give back to our home state with something everyone knows and loves to celebrate those who have made the decision to get vaccinated."

The chain, which is headquartered in Irvine, California, is running the promotion in participation with the state-funded Vax for the Win program.

"It's our biggest "thank you' yet to Californians who have received their Covid-19 vaccine," the state wrote of the initiative. "Ten winners will be selected on June 15 to receive $1.5 million each — prizes totaling $15 million! All Californians who have had at least one Covid-19 dose will automatically be entered."

Related: Grocery Chain to Give Away $5 million to Vaccinated Customers

Other incentives the program is offering include free queso at Chipotle on June 15, discounted merchandise from the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers and trips to visit Disneyland, San Diego and Palm Springs.

California's program was created in the same vein as other incentive programs designed to encourage residents to get vaccinated, such as Ohio's $1 million vaccine lottery and Kroger's $5 million giveaway to vaccinated customers.

Since last year, Taco Bell has made several pushes to give back amid the pandemic, including donating $5.5 million to No Kid Hungry and running job fairs at nearly 2,000 different locations across the country.

"It's no secret that the labor market is tight, which is why we are thrilled to host our fourth round of Hiring Parties in partnership with our franchisees," says Kelly McCulloch, Taco Bell's chief people officer, in reference to the company's hiring initiatives. "We're eager to welcome prospective new hires into the family and show them why working at Taco Bell can be more than just a job."

Currently, California is about 66% partially vaccinated, with about 55.2% of the state fully vaccinated and 11% having at least one dose or partial vaccination.

Related: How the Coronavirus Has Changed the Future of Work

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

To Achieve Sustainable Success, You Need to Stop Focusing on Disruption. Here's Why — and What You Must Focus on Instead.

Instead of zeroing in solely on disruptive innovation, embrace a pragmatic approach to innovation, recognizing and leveraging the potential within ongoing industry shifts.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Real Estate

3 Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Real Estate

These three innovations are reshaping the real estate industry — discover tips for effectively covering these trends.

Leadership

What We Have to Gain By Talking About Grief and Loss At Work

I lost my husband to cancer during Covid — here's how it changed how I lead at work.

Side Hustle

This Mom Started a Side Hustle After a 'Shocking' Realization in the Toy Aisle. Her Product Was in Macy's Within the Year — Seeing Nearly $350,000 in Sales.

Elenor Mak, now founder of Jilly Bing, didn't plan to start a business — but the search for a doll that looked like her daughter inspired her to do just that.

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.