Resilience Story

Planning for the Unknown

In 2019, African Swine Fever was spreading across Asia. While leading beef and pork procurement for Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, we saw an opportunity to build resilience — not just react. Months later, a global pandemic proved why that mattered.

The Signal

A Regional Crisis with Global Implications

One Question Changed Everything

I brought a simple question to our menu and quality teams: "If pork becomes limited or everyone switches to beef, what options do we have? Are there spec adjustments we could make to continue serving our menu without interruption?"

ASF Spreading Rapidly

African Swine Fever was decimating hog populations across Asia. Pork availability was tightening fast.

Demand Shift Risk

If pork became limited, global demand would shift to beef — spiking prices and straining availability overnight.

A Window to Prepare

Most teams were monitoring the situation. We decided to act before the impact reached our supply chain.

The Initiative

Building Flexibility Before the Storm

Menu and Quality Teams Embraced the Work

To my relief — and credit to them — our counterparts did not resist. They understood that contingency planning was not about compromising standards. It was about ensuring we could maintain them under pressure.

Alternative Raw Materials

Together with menu and quality teams, we reviewed alternative raw materials for key menu items across both brands.

Ingredient Substitutions

We identified possible ingredient substitutions and spec adjustments that could be activated under supply stress.

Recipe Flexibility

We built flexibility into recipes without compromising quality — creating levers we could pull if supply chains tightened.

The Stress Test

Then COVID-19 Hit

What Seemed Like a Precaution Became a Lifeline

The contingency work we did for a regional livestock event became the reason we maintained uninterrupted service during an unprecedented global pandemic. The levers we built months earlier were now the difference between serving customers and scrambling.

Meat Plants Disrupted

Processing plants across the U.S. faced massive outages. Beef facilities shut down. Italian sausage and pepperoni production slowed.

Brands Scrambling

Many restaurant brands were caught flat-footed, racing to find alternative suppliers and reformulate menus on the fly.

Nationwide Impact

This was not a regional event. Every location, every brand, every category was affected simultaneously.

The Results Spoke for Themselves

While other brands scrambled, our preparation delivered

Pizza Hut stockouts on Italian sausage or pepperoni

Taco Bell beef shortages despite nationwide plant disruptions

Months

of preparation lead time before the pandemic hit

100%

menu availability maintained across both brands

The Lesson

Why Preparation Beat Reaction

The difference was not luck — it was a deliberate, cross-functional approach to building resilience before it was needed

Start with the Right Question

Instead of asking "what do we do if supply breaks," ask "what flexibility can we build now so we have options later?"

Make It Cross-Functional

Procurement cannot build resilience alone. Menu, quality, and operations teams must be at the table — not as a roadblock, but as partners.

Build Ingredient-Level Contingencies

Flexibility at the ingredient level — not just the supplier level — gives you the most options when disruption hits.

Act Before the Crisis Demands It

The best time to build contingency plans is when you do not need them. By the time you need them, it is too late to start.

The Takeaway

Resilience Is a Team Sport

ASF Taught Us to Plan. COVID Proved Why.

Supply chain resilience is not just a procurement challenge. It is a team sport — requiring alignment between procurement, operations, menu, and quality teams. The organizations that win are the ones that build flexibility into their systems before the next crisis arrives.

Disruptions Are Inevitable

The next disruption will never be predictable. But you can prepare for it — if you start before it arrives.

Don't Let Quality Teams Be a Roadblock

Ask: does your menu or quality team have ingredient-level contingency plans? Are they building flexibility, or inadvertently blocking your ability to pivot?

Preparation Separates Survivors from Scramblers

Supply chain resilience requires alignment between procurement, operations, menu, and quality teams. Organizations that embed flexibility into their specs and sourcing strategies will be ready.

Is Your Supply Chain Ready for the Next Disruption?

Every supply chain has hidden vulnerabilities. The only question is whether you build resilience before or after the next crisis hits.
90-day pilot. One category. Real data. Real answers.

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Planning for the Unknown

A Regional Signal, a Global Lesson

In 2019, African Swine Fever was spreading rapidly across Asia. While leading beef and pork procurement for Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, the potential implications were clear: pork availability could tighten, beef demand could spike, and prices could become volatile almost overnight.

Instead of simply monitoring the situation, we brought a question to our menu and quality teams: “If pork becomes limited or everyone switches to beef, what options do we have?”

Building Flexibility Before It Was Needed

To their credit, our counterparts embraced the work. Together, we reviewed alternative raw materials, identified ingredient substitutions, and built flexibility into recipes — all without compromising quality.

At the time, it felt like prudent contingency planning for a regional livestock event. None of us imagined we would need these levers just months later for a global pandemic.

COVID-19: The Ultimate Stress Test

When COVID-19 hit, meat processing plants across the U.S. faced massive disruptions. Beef facilities shut down. Italian sausage and pepperoni production slowed. Many brands were scrambling for alternatives.

Because of the contingency work we did during ASF:

Pizza Hut never ran out of Italian sausage or pepperoni
Taco Bell never faced beef shortages despite nationwide plant disruptions
Ingredient-level flexibility allowed us to pivot without compromising menu quality

What had seemed like a forward-looking precaution became the reason we maintained uninterrupted service during an unprecedented crisis.

The Real Lesson

Resiliency is not just about procurement — it requires cross-functional collaboration. Ask yourself:

Does your menu or quality team have ingredient-level contingency plans?
Are they actively building flexibility, or inadvertently blocking your ability to pivot?

Disruptions are inevitable. Building resiliency into the system before a crisis is what separates organizations that survive from those that scramble.

The next disruption will never be predictable — but you can prepare for it.

Read the full story to see how this played out step by step, and the four lessons every supply chain team should take away.