The border journey
How we got here.
Company Timeline
– 1979 –
Jeff Engler notices a void in the marketplace for Mexican food. With an entrepreneurial upbringing (dad Marvin owned a movie theater business), Jeff and his cousin, Alan, decide to open a quick-service Mexican restaurant called Los Primos. When Jeff’s brother, Lee, graduates from college that same year, Jeff gives him a job on the line making tacos. This is the beginning of what would be a long-standing partnership between them.
– 1979-1984 –
The Engler brothers grow Los Primos to 19 locations across five states, including in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, but it’s a struggle. By 1985, Jeff and Lee know they need to reinvent themselves. They approach Taco Bell about becoming a franchise partner in the Twin Cities, but they don’t have the financial backing.
– 1986 –
Cousin Alan leaves the business to pursue other interests, and the brothers find a financial partner. The early beginnings of Border Foods take shape. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s bring a series of ups and downs.
– 1992 –
Jeff and Lee now own 13 Taco Bell restaurants and are preparing to grow. They begin developing a small team of then-district managers, many of whom are still with our company today.
– 1995 –
Taco Bell asks the Engler brothers to purchase the remaining 63 Taco Bell locations in Minnesota. Without the financial wherewithal to complete the transaction, Jeff and Lee search the country for the equity capital needed.
– SPRING 1996 –
Jeff and Lee meet with a financial partner to secure the capital for the purchase of the 63 restaurants. It’s a plan-on-the-back-of-a-napkin kind of meeting, literally.
– FALL 1996 –
The Engler brothers secure the capital, draft a business plan and officially form Border Foods. The acquisition bumps them from 13 to 76 Taco Bells overnight.
– 1999 –
The Engler brothers finance the equity partner out, leaving just Jeff and Lee as owners and operators.
– FALL 2000 –
Border Foods moves into the Wyoming market to acquire more restaurants.
– 2000-2005 –
Border Foods begins to experiment with other Yum! brands, opening KFCs, Pizza Huts and Au Bon Pain locations across the Midwest, in addition to their Taco Bell restaurants.
– 2010-2011 –
Taco Bell is identified as the breakaway brand of the future; Border Foods refocuses its business around this leading brand.
– 2015 –
Border Foods acquires markets in parts of Wisconsin and South Dakota, bumping its total restaurant count to 119.
– 2018 –
During the final night of the 2018 FRANMAC convention, Jeff and Lee Engler are bestowed the highest honor in the Taco Bell system: the Glen Bell Award. Also, Border Foods receives Twin Cities Business Magazine’s Family Business Award during the publication’s gala.
– 2019 –
Border Foods adds 13 new restaurants from the Quad Cities area to its portfolio. The company opens its 200th Taco Bell!
– 2020 –
Border Foods welcomes 13 new Taco Bells in North and South Dakota. Aaron Engler, Jeff’s son, is named President of Border Foods and the next generation of leadership begins, shaping the future with a collaborative approach to leading.
– 2021 –
Border Foods welcomes six new Taco Bells in Montana.
– 2022 –
Border Foods defies all odds by officially opening Taco Bell DEFY, the first two-story drive-thru for the QSR brand. Read More
– 2023 –
Border Foods earns naming rights to Taco Bell’s POS system, calling it ANNspire, after the late Carol Ann Williams, who was known in life as one of the greatest Taco Bell operators of all time. Also, the company opens a new restaurant in Scottsbluff, NE, entering its tenth state!
– 2024 –
Aaron Engler is named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Border Foods. He aims to expand on the vision his father and uncle built.
“To carry the legacy forward into my generation, my kids’ generation and beyond is an incredible opportunity.”
— Aaron Engler
– 2025 –
Border Foods opens its 250th location nationwide and brings the Minnesota Taco Bell count to 100.
