'No Lettuce, Sorry': Lilly's Cantina in Kansas City, Missouri, takes precaution amid Cyclospora outbreaks

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

—

A sign outside Lilly's Cantina in Kansas City, Missouri, says, "No Lettuce, Sorry."

It's not because the item is 86'd from the Westside neighborhood restaurant, but because owner Teresa Grado says she's prioritizing safety.

“We’ve had a few tables — a handful for sure — that have walked away because we didn’t have lettuce," Grado said. "I get it, lettuce is needed on your taco and I would love to serve it, but I don’t know and I don’t want anybody sick.”

Iceberg lettuce is linked to cyclospora outbreaks in nine states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report includes Kansas but not Missouri, where over 1,000 cases have been reported this year.

Lily O'Shea Becker/KSHB

"I want to serve it to you. I like lettuce on my taco," Grado said. "I just want to keep us safe.”

Within an 11-day span in July, 78 cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in Jackson County. That number is up from the three to seven cases typically reported in a year, per Jackson County Public Health.

Jackson County health officials say they are interviewing residents with symptoms. A common source or widespread outbreak has not been identified locally, according to Jackson County Public Health.

On Facebook, Lilly's Cantina told customers that the distributor the restaurant uses carries a specific brand of lettuce and management decided not to take any risks.

“What do we really know about it? Where are we at with it? Will we have lettuce again this summer? I don’t know," Grado said.

At Lilly's Cantina, they still have options for customers like Laura Savidge.

Lily O'Shea Becker/KSHB

“I got a burrito because I asked. When I saw the sign outside that they’re not using lettuce, I just thought, I’ll just ask them what the best thing is that doesn’t have lettuce in it," Savidge said.

Savidge says she appreciates Grado's decision to remove lettuce from the menu at Lilly's Cantina temporarily.

“I think it’s smart," Savidge said. "It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

—