When Brian Davies applied to Taco Bell in the mid-1980s, he never imagined it would become a decades-long journey, culminating with his role as Vice President of Facilities at Border Foods. This year, he celebrates 40 years in the Taco Bell and Border Foods family, a milestone underscoring the breadth of his experience and the passion he brings to his work.

From Zantigo to Taco Bell

Brian’s story begins at a Zantigo restaurant in Roseville, MN. He originally tried to land a spot at a Taco Bell just two blocks from home but wasn’t called in for an interview. So, when an opening appeared at Zantigo, he jumped on it. Ironically, Taco Bell purchased Zantigo restaurants in 1987, making Brian part of the system after all.

“I joked with Carol Williams for years,” he says. “She was the GM who didn’t interview me at Taco Bell, but two years later, she ended up with me anyway after the acquisition.” Brian spent his teen years juggling cashier duties during high school, crediting Taco Bell for teaching him how to interact comfortably with customers and coworkers. 

The people I worked with became a second family.

Brian Davies, Vice President of Facilities.

Embracing Opportunity & New Challenges

By 1996, another acquisition loomed — this time, Border Foods. Meeting Border Foods’ founder Lee Engler sealed the deal. “When I sat down with Lee and learned what he was about, I fell in love with the opportunity,” Brian says. 

Continuing to evolve within the company, Brian seized every chance for growth. Early on, he stepped into an operations services role when a fellow district manager went on leave. “I thought I’d have fewer hours,” he laughs. “But I was actually at the office until 8 or 9 p.m. most nights.” That temporary position gave him invaluable insight into supporting restaurants from a corporate perspective, a skill set he’d build upon for years to come.

Brian later assisted with new restaurant development and remodels, working under Border Foods’ former Chief Development Officer, Barb Schneider. Eventually, he oversaw the company’s internal facilities team. Brian introduced new processes and measured their performance through profit-and-loss metrics. 

Becoming VP of Facilities—and Looking ahead at 50 Years

Today, Brian is our Vice President of Facilities, overseeing everything from remodeling projects and new builds to daily operations services. He still visits Taco Bell restaurants regularly — especially the Elk River location, which he opened years ago as a general manager. 

Through it all, Brian credits a culture rooted in family and mutual respect for his career longevity. “I’ve met so many wonderful people,” he says.

Leadership genuinely cares. From scholarships to rallying around team members in a crisis, this place just feels different.

Brian Davies, Vice President of Facilities

When asked about retirement, Brian reveals an ambitious plan: “I’m celebrating my 40-year anniversary in 2025, but my goal is to make it to 50.” 

He sees each new role as a door he’s chosen to walk through, never letting fear hold him back. “I feel lucky,” he says. “I work hard, and Border Foods has opened a lot of doors for me. I just made sure they never closed before I had a chance to see what was on the other side.”

Brian has made it a priority to share what he’s learned, particularly with family members who’ve joined the company. His wife, Holly, once worked at Taco Bell. His son, Andrew, now contributes to remodel efforts. 

“He grew up around Taco Bell,” Brian says of Andrew, recalling how as a kid, he’d pretend to drive a forklift. Today, Andrew is a go-to equipment resource for the entire team.

Ultimately, Brian hopes new hires see the potential for their own decades-long careers. “Be honest, work hard, and dedicate yourself to your family and your work,” he advises. “With the right attitude, you can retire from Border Foods and love every step of the journey.”

It’s no secret, recognition is a big part of who we are at Border Foods, and we‘ve retained some pretty exceptional people at this company! Territory Training Leader (TTL) Becky Wenger is a supreme example.

Celebrating more than 30 years with us, Becky has enjoyed diversity in her Border Foods career — first rising up the ranks in the Taco Bell restaurant setting, spending two years in administrative office support, and eventually, becoming an integral member of our Training Department as it was being built from the ground up.

“[I] feel super fortunate to have been asked,” she says of being tapped by our own Sharla Hennek to join the training team in its infancy. A self-proclaimed people person, Becky has a passion for teaching and making a difference — even when it’s as simple as showing someone how to properly wrap a burrito!

“It was like a dream,” she says emphatically (you can hear the smile in her voice). “It was the best of both worlds. I got to still go back and teach Shift Leaders and Assistant Managers and GMs everything I know for the day, but yet I still had some of that admin side where I could fine-tune some of my skills on that side.”

When you see the spark go off in somebody … when they finally get it for the first time or they have that confidence to run the shift, that’s what I love

Becky Wenger, Territory Training Leader

Becky likens being a training leader to being a grandparent. “You get to love up on ‘em and take care of people all day long, and then you send them home to their stores at the end of the day.”

But to excel as a trainer, it seems Becky had to first discover her passion for people and team development … and tacos (did you know her first job was at a McDonald’s with her best friend?) 

This is exactly what 15 years as a Restaurant General Manager (RGM) uncovered!

The Journey to Leadership

Becky joined the Border Foods family in 1994 after working in a Taco Bell owned by Taco Bell Corporate. It didn’t take long to get promoted: she was a Shift Lead by 18 and Assistant General Manager (AGM) the following year. But it’s her promotion to RGM in 1999 that really made a splash. She was only 20 years old.

“That’s when things got real because I was one of the youngest GMs, if not the youngest GM at the time,” she recalls with incredulousness.

Not only was Becky one of our youngest restaurant leaders, but she was given a brand new Taco Bell! The location at Larpenteur and Lexington Avenues in Roseville had only been open two months, and boasted the latest and greatest bells and whistles for the time.

“I was on top of the world!” she says. “I never thought about working anywhere else because they just kept me so busy.”

Becky says she loved her time in the restaurant; she gushes about the satisfaction that comes from creating a team and watching them grow.

Now, she helps others find that same satisfaction at work. Colleagues admire her ability to connect and genuinely care about people (she was a 2022 Heart of Border Foods award recipient).

Passion & Taco

According to Becky, the key to being a great manager is to “work through your people, slow down, take the time to teach ‘em right … and know your customers. Be out there — be the presence in your store,” she advises.

“Our ability to hire great leaders … we hire the passion first,” she explains. This couldn’t be more obvious than in Becky’s own career path! “We take the people that do great in the restaurants, and they have a passion for what we do, and then, we can teach the trade.”

Clearly, Becky has the recipe for success down pat. We couldn’t be happier to have her here!

 

Shift Lead Kevin Burton has an upbeat energy about him that is palpable and contagious. His dedication and love of work for Border Foods and Taco Bell is obvious! That’s why it was a no brainer to recognize Kevin recently with what’s become known as a Core Value Call Out Award. We surprised him with two floor tickets to see Justin Timberlake!

Every single day I wake up, I appreciate what I do at Taco Bell, what I can bring.

Kevin Burton, Shift Lead

As a leader, Kevin is particularly strong in his embodiment of Border Foods’ core values of empowerment and family. Read on to learn more about just what we mean!

Here, It’s All in the Family

Kevin joined Border Foods in 2017. He says he left another well known restaurant brand because “they didn’t understand family.”

While he hasn’t been with us his entire career, Kevin says he feels like he’s grown up at Border Foods. He’s worked at a lot of our Taco Bells in Grand Rapids, MI at some point! He says he appreciates the warmth of the environment and team mentality most. 

“I actually like Taco Bell. I like the way how … everybody’s like a family,” he shares. “Everybody works together.”

Self Empowerment & Beyond

Kevin has shown he is as committed to self improvement as he is to bettering his team at our Jenison, MI Taco Bell. He shows off a tattoo on his forearm that reminds him of the promise he made “to be his best self.”

Kevin’s determination to grow and become a better version of himself naturally transfers to those around him.

“Being a Shift Lead, I try to make the people around me and all of my team, better.”

Thankfully, Kevin’s passion to make a difference isn’t shared exclusively with the Jenison crew. When he recently helped out the team at our Northland Drive Taco Bell, he says he seized an opportunity to build another team up.

“When they needed help and the people were beating themselves down and trying to figure things out,” he recalls, “I told them, “We got this.” 

Kevin shares that it took some time for Northland to realize he genuinely cared about their success. It was twofold — he wanted to make a difference there but also hoped to bring some of that valuable experience back to his own team.

I have so much passion for this.

Kevin Burton, Shift Lead

The growth and opportunity doesn’t stop here! Kevin has an eye on the future and hopes to become an Assistant General Manager (AGM) and eventually, manage his own Taco Bell. 

“I want to be able to show people you can do this — from starting as a Crew Member and working your way up,” Kevin stresses. Yes, you can! The proof is in the many recent award winners we’ve recognized on our blog.