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BY Jennifer Mattson

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Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell—as well as KFC, and The Habit Burger Grill—reported third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, beating analyst expectations, in part, from KFC’s global expansion and higher revenue from its franchises.

However, an outbreak of cyclospora linked to tainted shredded lettuce at Taco Bell, what the company considers its “growth engine,” affected the company’s same-store sales which dropped 4% in the U.S. for the quarter.

Despite that, it appears consumers have not lost their appetite for Taco Bell. On Tuesday’s earning call, the company’s CFO Ranjith Roy said looking ahead to the fourth-quarter, same-store sales are up about 1%, and up 3% over the last four weeks, compared same period last year.

Yum!…