We’re proud to ring in this year’s Golden Bell and Signature Restaurant winners. Five of our Midwest Taco Bells and their GMs were named Golden Bell recipients plus one exceptional Area Coach (AC), Kent Farris of Area 32! In addition, 148 Border Foods Taco Bells are 2025 Signature Restaurants.
Golden Bell represents the “best of the best” in the entire Taco Bell system, our famous brand’s highest honor. Being named as such means a restaurant has also achieved “signature status.” Top General Managers (GMs) and ACs are awarded a trip!
Achieving Signature Restaurant status according to Taco Bell means you’ve demonstrated “the mastery of both the science and the art of running a premier Taco Bell.”
For Golden Bell consideration, restaurants and managers are evaluated on: Supreme 5-star ratings, transaction growth and guest reviews. Criteria for Area Coaches includes:
Highest number of restaurants
Highest Supreme standing
Most guests served
Top-tier service (5% Bells)
Congratulations to the following good as gold winners (who are heading to Hawaii)!
29904 Little Falls, MN GM: Chad Zinda
37583 Jamestown, ND AGM: Keily Mittleider
37588 Rock Island Place – Bismarck, ND GM: Colleen Gruchow
It may be the start of the new year, but we still have plenty of 2025 holiday season recapping to do — there were just too many great outings not to mention!
One of them was our team’s volunteer trip to the Boys & Girls Club of the Sioux Empire. Organized by our Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist Mollie Sommer and Area Coaches Steve Spindler and Brett Bengston, it was the perfect example of our team’s commitment to giving back.
This is the highlight of the year for a lot of our teams.
Brett Bengston, Area Coach
Fa-la-la-la Fun
We’ve been visiting this Boys & Girls Club every holiday season since 2015, and it’s quickly become a beloved tradition here at Border Foods. This was Steve’s third year and Brett’s second. The two share that not only is our team’s visit a fantastic way to give back to the community, it’s also a lot of fun!
So, what exactly does the event entail? Our team’s goal is always to spread a little (or a lot of) holiday cheer — and we go above and beyond to do so. This year, Brett dressed up as Santa Claus, while the rest of our helpers arrived in elf costumes! SantaBrett read a holiday story to a group of kids and listened to each of their Christmas wishes. Then, the elves passed out gift bags — a new addition to our annual visit.
It’s the littlest things that mean the most in life … this is one that truly is a privilege to be a part of.
Brett Bengston, Area Coach
We’re honored to be able to give back in such an impactful way. Thank you to Mollie, Brett, Steve and all of the other volunteers who gave the children such a wonderful experience. We already can’t wait for next year!
More history in the making! As we celebrate Border Foods’ 30-year anniversary, we transformed our company rally into a full week of high energy festivities and recognition – a first!
Our company rally has always been about people, progress and a whole lot of pride.
Rally Week 2026 comprised daily sessions with messages from leadership, business and operations updates, and the doling out of countless awards.
Highlights included several fun reveals:
The debut of our founders’ story video, a firsthand account featuring on-camera interviews with Co-founders and brothers Jeff and Lee Engler;
The rewarding part is the amount of lives that we’ve touched.
-Jeff Engler, Co-founder
In addition, perhaps the most memorable session was an intimate conversation with two generations of family business leaders – Jeff, Lee and Jeff’s son Aaron Engler (current CEO and President) – moderated by Chief Ops Officer Vince Bosscher. Here, we witnessed their passion for the business and its people, and on-camera dynamics. Key topics included:
The origin of Border Foods’ name (credit given to Lee’s wife Patti whose “south of the border” idea became the launching pad);
Aaron’s insights about growing up in the business with hands-on experience from the many roles he’s had since age 15;
Reflection on the late Carol Williams’ lasting impact on company culture; and
Lee and Jeff’s continued awe of this success story, and how they’ve impacted the livelihood of thousands of people.
All in all, it was another fantastic show of how our company leadership rallies behind our incredible people!
2026 is going to be a great year because we keep making things better.
We’re pleased to give bragging rights to this year’s Best of the Best (BOTB) award trip winners!
Each year we reward top performers with a much-deserved spot on Border Foods’ BOTB Mexico trip. Recognized recently during our first-ever “Rally Week,” these lucky people join a long list of past recipients who’ve worked hard to beach harder!
Border Foods has been rewarding excellence, one beach at a time, since 2016.
This April, we’ll whisk these winners away to Marival Resort & Spa’s five-star, all-inclusive Armony, located on Destiladeras Beach in Punta de Mita. Congratulations, you deserve this!
Region Coaches
Dawn VanMaanen, Region 7 Debra Fraser, Region 9 Jarret Persons, Region 8 Jennifer Copeland, Region 4 LouAnn Hansen, Region 6 Nathan Besler, Region 5 Octivia Erickson, Region 3 Steve Daggett, Region 2
Area Coaches
Alfredo Briones, Area 10 Alyse Eckert, Area 2 Amanda Hobbs, Area 9 Bobbie Hansen, Area 33 Chelsea James, Area 28 Constance Horan, Area 40 Dan Pesota, Area 6 Heather Aos, Area 31 Jacob Woltjer, Area 26 Jeremy Stepp, Area 7 Josh Miller, Area 21 Juli Froehlig, Area 45 Kent Farris, Area 32 Melvin Mora, Area 11 Nicole Davis, Area 4 Tina Brown, Area 39 Yasser Gharib, Area 8
General Managers
Alexander Joshua Bray, Cambridge, MN Alicia Schaefer, Albertville, MN Amy Dawson, Plymouth Station, MN Andrea Ramirez, Fridley, MN Angela Buffington, Crystal, MN Araceli Aguilar, Hopkins, MN Barb Bunney, North Street, SD Brandon Rosillo, Fairmont, MN Brittany Caldwell, Monmouth, IL Cesar Figueroa, Nathan Lane, MN Chad Zinda, Little Falls, MN Christian Scribner, University, ND Dakota Gleason, Sherman, MI Douglas Sibley, Whitehall, MI Edgar Medina Ortiz, Minnetonka, MN Edna De Leon Sanchez, Edina, MN Elizabeth Danielson, Northfield, MN Ezra Young, Alexandria, MN John Wen, Grandville, MI Jordan Melaragno, Brookings, SD Jose Jimenez, Woodbury, MN Jose Tapia, Lakeville, MN Justin Perry, Sturgis, MI Kevin Stimeling, E Main Street, IL Laura Swenson, Perryville, IL Lindsay Stimeling, Henderson Street, IL Luann Fuerstenberg, Sun Prairie, WI Mackenzie Hass, Willmar, MN Manasseh Williams, Ridgedale, MN Martika Cox, Whitney Way, WI Mary St. Clair, Maple Grove, MN Matar Ndiaye, Roseville, MN Matthew Hicks, Portage, MI McKenzie Murphy, Andover, MN Melinda Cegielski, Hudson , WI Merlyn Rodas Martinez, Edinburgh, MN Michelle Luoma, Grand Avenue, MN Nid Lee, Vadnais Heights, MN Purnell Moralez-Barnes, Cottage Grove, MN Robert Ball, Fruitport, MI Scott Squires, Victory Lane, MN Seng Thao, Brooklyn Center, MN Shane Huggins, Kalamazoo, MI Tiffany Bowyer, Cedar Springs, MI Timothy Wegler, Osseo, MN Tracy Jackson, Apple Valley, MN William White, Lowell, MI
Support Staff
Kyra Hennek, Payroll Specialist Logan Alderson, Loss Prevention Manager Regina Zeddell, Payroll Specialist Teri Staggemeyer, VP, Finance and Accounting Evan Hatton, Business Intelligence Analyst
Heart of Border Foods
LouAnn Hansen, Region 6 Coach Tranquility Deveroux, Territory Training Leader Vince Bosscher, Chief Ops Officer
When you join the Border Foods family, your career can grow by leaps and bounds! Case in point? Taco Bell’s theLeap Program, a leadership development initiative for high potential Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) and Area Coaches (ACs).
Running six months in duration, theLeap consists of monthly training conducted online with four in-person sessions at the Taco Bell Corporate Office in Irvine, CA. The course focuses on skills like authentic leadership, bold thinking and system management that can have real impact on your teams. We were proud to send three of our brightest minds to participate and recently caught up with them to learn more about their experiences!
Border Foods’ Leap Leaders
Brenda White says she made it known to our leadership team that she’d love to be considered for this opportunity, and, being newly promoted to Area Coach, she was an obvious choice!
Brenda’s goal was to learn how to handle shifting priorities in her new AC role.
“There’s always so much room to grow and understand yourself as a leader,” Brenda shares.
She particularly enjoyed the in person classes, describing them as fun, interactive and busy! She has her sights set on being named an AC of the Year someday, and understands the tools she received from this training will bring her one step closer to achieving her goal.
[theLeap program] has given me a new perspective on my coaching style and how I can adapt to others based on their needs.
– Brenda White, Area Coach
Through it all, Brenda is most appreciative of her Border Foods family. “They truly are my world and I thank all of my peers and supporters for being there for me when I need them,” she says.
Manasseh Williams is another friendly, familiar face around here! “I love the people-side of the job,” Manasseh shares. “I enjoy building relationships, supporting others and being part of a team that truly feels like family.”
Manasseh’s goal as an AC is to make an impact, and theLeap program gave him plenty of learnings to fortify this selfless mission. He says he looks back on theLeap’s practice modules, planning tools and leadership strategies whenever he needs guidance.
theLEAP program gave me more confidence and clarity in my leadership style,
– Manasseh Williams, Area Coach
Manasseh shares what it was like to hear from AC peers during the in-person sessions. They called the exercise “sharing the room” and Manasseh says it made the experience meaningful.
“It helped me understand how to lead in my own way while still adapting to what others need,” he says.
With the insights taken from the course, Manasseh says he feels more comfortable, intentional and effective as a leader. He highly recommends the program!
“No matter how long someone has been in the Area Coach role, it’s a great refresher and a strong kick start,” he says.
Lindsay Wurhman was training to be an AC when our Chief People Officer Sharla Hennek reached out to her about theLEAP opportunity.
“I was open to learn[ing] anything and everything as I was not even an Area Coach yet, and I wanted to get as much knowledge as I could from this class,” Lindsay says.
The biggest takeaway for her was understanding how to be confident, and how to productively coach and set up strategies for each restaurant in her care. Lindsay’s aim is to make each of her locations the best version of themselves, and she views their performance as a direct reflection of her.
“The experience was really interactive, gave you tons of tools to use and made a great network of peers to be able to reach out to,” Lindsay shares.So if you want to become part of a team that sets you up to be the best version of yourself, consider joining us!
December brought us a powerful reminder – that not every home has the certainty of food on the table. That’s why we were honored to send a robust group of 30 staff from Border Foods’ headquarters to volunteer at Every Meal in Roseville, MN.
Every Meal is a nonprofit devoted to fighting childhood hunger throughout our home state. This was our first time volunteering for the organization, but hopefully not our last. It just might become one of our newest holiday traditions!
On December 22, our team of volunteers rolled up their sleeves and jumped into action. The assignment was to pack bags with food that school kids could bring home for meals during winter break.
“It is a very cool feeling knowing that this is going directly to children who experience food insecurity when they are not at school.”
– Mollie Sommer, Community Outreach Specialist
According to Mollie, our volunteers assembled 4,308 bags which translates into 16,513 meals! While team bonding and camaraderie are definite perks, it’s the impact we made on local youth that really aligns with our higher mission.
We can’t wait to do this again! A world without hunger is the very world we want to be a part of.
Back by popular demand, it’s a recap of this year’s most read blog posts about company milestones (100 stores in Minnesota! 250 Taco Bells in the U.S.!), celebrated award winners and other 2025 highlights. We can’t help it, there’s so much to taco ‘bout!
Coming Soon: Our 100th Minnesota Taco Bell
This was an announcement to remember! We planned for the unveiling of Minnesota’s 100th Taco Bell in the state. Located in Ramsey, this milestone gave us good reason to throw a party!
Our heartwarming callout to the latest Heart of Border Foods honorees: Richelle Johnson, Tony Christiansen and Brenda Foley. These three make us proud that they call Border Foods their home away from home.
This is THE list to be on around here! And it’s a best read blog post for a reason! Everyone wants to know who makes Best of the Best status and earns a trip to Mexico!
Here we do a happy spin around this year’s Circle of Excellence winners, a small but mighty group of dedicated Area Coaches whose commitment and drive are nothing short of impressive. Congratulations to Connie Horan, Aaron Mechtel-Kilborn, Lori Sumner and LouAnn Hansen.
Beloved Region Coach Pam Hare readies for retirement! We celebrate her 44-year-long career with the Taco Bell brand and the many things we’ll remember her for at Border Foods.
World, meet Kitchen X, Taco Bell’s latest restaurant design – more open, sleek and modern. It’s nacho average layout! Here we announce the first two of our restaurants to be updated with the new look and layout!
It’s not surprising that an ultra run paired with Taco Bell pitstops would attract attention! Seven of our Taco Bells landed on the route for the inaugural Twin Cities Taco Bell 50K this summer. Here’s the scoop.
David Ziemer Celebrates 30 Years with Border Foods
We journey through time with IT Operations Manager David Ziemer. His story starts like many with his first job in a Taco Bell restaurant but it spans three decades and lands him squarely in the middle of security, software and other high-tech systems.
Meet Tony Dinh, Border Foods’ new Director of Technology. He joined us in late October and clearly, is moving at the speed of … NOW! Tony joins us after an impressive 22-year career with Taco Bell Corporate, where his most recent position was as Director of Product Management.
It’s obvious Tony takes his new role at Border Foods seriously knowing that as owner operator of 250+ Taco Bells, we need smart solutions to keep up with this fast-moving world. He’s taken the reins on several important initiatives that aim to make our in-house technology department more relevant and ready for growth.
Tony started fielding calls at the help desk and now he’s Director of Technology!
Tinkering with Tech
Tony comes from a family of software developers, so his curiosity in the industry stems directly from his upbringing. He secured a degree in information systems and decision sciences from Cal State Fullerton.
From there, it didn’t take long for Tony to follow the taco trail. He landed a position with Taco Bell’s service desk in 2002, where he provided tech support by phone to restaurants. He says he stayed with the brand for two decades because of its warm, welcoming environment and the fact that it’s a place where new ideas are embraced.
It always goes back to the people and culture … that whole feeling really kept me.
-Tony Dinh, Director of Technology
Tony’s entire career has been based in California until four years ago, when he moved back home to Minnesota (where we’re based).
As one of Taco Bell’s largest franchisees, Border Foods has participated in several of the tests that Tony and his team have conducted over the years. So Tony is no stranger to our company! When his position with the brand was eliminated in May, we knocked on his door almost immediately.
After enjoying some time off during transition, Tony accepted our offer. So what’s he find exciting here? “The opportunity to mold this department and get it ready for what we want it to become,” Tony says.
Testing 1, 2, 3
As we grow, naturally, our technology department is growing, too! Today, Tony oversees three IT personnel but not too long ago, it was very much a department of one. From a technical standpoint, there are several projects keeping the department busy.
First, Border Foods was selected to help Taco Bell Corporate test usability of a larger touchscreen display monitor in the kitchen, believed to be easier for team members to read. Another Corporate initiative is the Network 3.0 rollout which will ensure all restaurants have a backup network, key to keeping technology stable. With the network update, Tony says Border Foods is taking it a step further by placing priority on simplifying back of office tech setup by reorganizing cables (labeling, color coding) to get most everything neatly into one box (called standardized racks). This will make restaurant support easier when problems arise.
As for department goals, Tony shares a few core focus areas. “The big one is just elevating our tech team and our skillset,” he says. But his list also includes:
Keep technology simple for field operators;
Close the gap of fear in technology;
Better train on technology initiatives; and
Transition from being a reactive department to proactive.
“I’m going to put a lot of energy into making it easier,” Tony says of how the tech department’s work should ultimately impact the organization as a whole.
And we like your energy, Tony! Innovation won’t slow down and lucky are we, doesn’t look like you will either! If technology is your jam, keep an eye out for job openings in IT.
There’s a new trophy in QSR town, and it’s admission into Taco Bell Corporate’s just-launched Founders’ Club! To become a member of this exclusive group, Taco Bell restaurants must achieve 62 consecutive days of positive, year-over-year transaction growth.
At first glance, 62 consecutive days might seem like a bit of a random number. However, it’s actually a reference to 1962, the year that Taco Bell was founded. “These restaurants are making history, just like the brand did — so “62” is an homage to that,” Kasey Baeza, Border’s Director of Operations, says.
We’re excited to share that since it was first rolled out just a few months ago, 27 of Border Foods’ Taco Bells have officially achieved Founders’ Club status!
[This achievement] shows that the team is engaged and invested in taking care of each other so they can then take care of customers.
Kasey Baeza, Border Foods Director of Operations
ROOKIE-FRIENDLY RECOGNITION
The parameters of the Founders’ Club make it a really accessible goal for newer restaurants, Kasey says. For example, if a restaurant experienced significant change last year — like new ownership or a big construction project — then positive growth this year would be pretty feasible. In fact, many of the 27 Border restaurants that recently joined the club are either recent Border acquisitions or new builds.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
One of the main operation pillars presented at Border’s rally this year was transaction growth — so the fact that 27 of our restaurants have achieved exactly that is amazing! Rather than focusing on gaining new customers, Kasey shares that the Operations team challenged our restaurants to boost our incremental transactions instead.
“You can’t build a business on new customers. You have to build a business on loyal customers who come back to you,” Kasey says, adding that the team focused on transaction speed specifically to earn trust and, hopefully, gain new repeat customers!
MORE THAN BRAGGING RIGHTS
So, what’s the benefit of being in the Founders’ Club (besides bragging rights!)? As the team hits specific benchmarks on their way to the ultimate 62, they’re invited to enter a Bell Box raffle. Bell Boxes are packages from Taco Bell Corporate filled with unique Taco Bell swag. Some of our team members have already won Bell Boxes for their achievements!
We want to congratulate all 27 restaurants on this incredible honor. We can’t wait to see what they do next!
Every Taco Bell that’s been built since 2019 has been constructed in Taco Bell Corporate’s “Endeavor” design style. While Endeavor proved to be more modern than the mission-style buildings associated with the brand’s storied past, it’s high time for an upgrade.
That’s where Taco Bell Corporate’s latest design style, Kitchen X, comes in.
OPEN. MODERN. SLEEK.
Kitchen X’s look is in stark contrast to the traditional fast-food restaurant layouts of the past. Usually, dining rooms are in the front and kitchens are in the back, tucked away from guest view.
In Kitchen X layouts, these components will be completely rearranged. Upon entering one of these new Taco Bells, guests will find a dining room that runs the full length of the building. Additionally, thanks to more windows, the kitchen space of Kitchen X Taco Bells will be more open and visible to guests, both in the restaurant and drive-through. The entire experience will feel much more like fast-casual dining, and hopefully encourage customers to dine in more often!
Kitchen X will also include 24-hour lobby access and a streamlined layout for order pick-up. Zach Zelickson, our Vice President of Development, feels strongly that the new, bold style will help spearhead the next generation of fast food restaurant builds.
Kitchen X is a cleaner, more modern approach to fast-food restaurant design.
Zach Zelickson, VP of Development at Border Foods
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
As our VP of Development, Zach is responsible for sourcing and purchasing the locations where Border Foods restaurants are built. He works with each municipality, city or town to get the necessary building approvals and permits.
Border’s Kitchen X locations — Rochester and Lakeville, MN — are both already home to Taco Bells, however, they were built according to earlier design styles. Given that the new, additional locations will now be built in the Kitchen X style, Zach will have to start the whole approval process over. He’ll work closely alongside key stakeholders from each town and Taco Bell Corporate to find design workarounds and material replacements whenever necessary. It’s quite the song and dance, but we’re confident he’ll find a way to make everyone happy!
COMING SOON
The Rochester and Lakeville restaurants are our first foray into the Kitchen X style. The new design isn’t approved nationally yet, but given our close great relationship with Taco Bell Corporate, they reached out to us to be the new style’s first “test.”
We couldn’t be more honored to be chosen, and we’re so excited to deliver Taco Bell’s very best to guests in 2026!
