Carlos Fuentes officially joined Border Foods in mid-March after a legendary run of 21 years with P.F. Chang’s. From the onset, he’s exuded excitement about being a part of our team and taking on a Region Coach role.
I’m truly happy to be a part of the Border Foods family and excited for the future.
– Carlos Fuentes, Region Coach
In his new role, Carlos oversees Region 1, which comprises Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and Rapid City, South Dakota. He’s in the midst of training and will begin shadowing as an Area Coach (AC) soon. Relocating from the Lone Star State, he’s moving his family from El Paso, TX to Rapid City, SD in June.
During the interview process, Carlos was asked if his family would be okay with a move. It’s one of several times he’s already witnessed genuine care at Border Foods. While he appreciates the concern, according to him, he and his wife have moved so many times, it’s no problem!
“Change is okay. And sometimes change is better,” Carlos says. “This has been nothing but positive for me.” He views this as an important lesson for his four kids who range in age from 12 to 20.
Chang Highs
Carlos comes to us from P.F. Chang’s with an impressive track record. Diving into his work experience, you’ll immediately notice it’s chock full of promotions and relocations. Carlos’ restaurant career began in 2004 when he became a line cook. Soon after, he became a Shift Lead. Then things really got exciting!
His wife became pregnant with their first child while he was finishing up culinary school in Scottsdale, AZ. P.F. Chang’s offered him a choice: relocate to St. Louis, MO or Houston, TX. He decided on St. Louis where he landed a salaried sous chef position, a welcome pay upgrade as they started their family.
“You gotta strike where the opportunity is!” Carlos says.
Within a little over a year, Carlos was promoted to Executive Chef at age 22. He and his family spent three years in St. Louis. Then, in 2009, he was offered a struggling restaurant in Baton Rouge, LA – he says was up for the challenge! While St. Louis had been pulling in $70,000 a week, his new location was closer to $110,000!
“I loved living there,” Carlos confesses. “It wasn’t easy, but it was very gratifying.”
“I learned a lot from my time with Chang’s,” he says. “I learned the most from people that were terrible – what not to do, what not to say. Sometimes silence is powerful.”
Back of House to Hospitality
Next, Carlos was offered the opportunity to move from back of the house operations into restaurant management. It would mean another move for the family – relocate to El Paso, TX and open a restaurant (his first!) as a General Manager (GM).
Carlos says what he’s enjoyed the most throughout his career is learning how to pivot. “There’s always something that’s changing, something that’s happening,” he says. “Take a left, take a right. You don’t get hung up on things.”
Carlos’ rise up the ranks only continued: he became Market Director of two restaurants, then Senior Market Director during COVID and finally, Market Partner (overseeing 15 restaurants).
Leadership Principles
With all of this experience, we know Carlos brings with him enormous perspective. We ask, What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into a restaurant?
“It starts from the outside,” he replies. “What’s it look like? Is it best of the block?”
The first impression is the most important impression.
Carlos Fuentes, Region Coach
Carlos says whether it’s full-service restaurants or QSR, the same principles apply: “Is it clean, are people smiling? Are the lights working?”
As a leader, Carlos places high priority on accountability and doing the right thing, which is right in line with our core values. “You have to do things through integrity, for the right reasons,” he says.
Here at Border Foods, we’re ecstatic to welcome another leader focused on what really matters. Welcome to the family, Carlos!
