Summer kicked off with a celebratory bang when we added a 50th market area to our operations map and promoted Betty Burgess to Area Coach (AC) of the area. Betty will oversee three Taco Bells located in Casper, Laramie and Rawlins, WY.

Region Coach Octivia Erickson, who oversees the nine-location Wyoming market, says Taco Bells in the “cowboy state” are widely spread out, which means ACs like Betty often have to travel two hours one way to visit their locations.

But it doesn’t bother Betty, who makes it her goal to arrive with a solid, purposeful plan for every restaurant visit.

“I definitely get a lot of windshield time,” she remarks, sharing that she lives 20 minutes from one location and drives two-plus hours to the other two. “But I don’t let the drive time hinder how I show up in the stores.”

And show up she does! From a leadership perspective, Octivia shares this: “Betty is very much a teacher by nature. She does an outstanding job going in and shouldering the systems and processes with her team … a driver of empowerment, she builds her teams’ capabilities.”

Beyond that, as distance between locations can be isolating, Betty says she takes every opportunity to build community and connection for her teams. One example she shares is bringing team members from one location to another for additional support like she does for Laramie, a college town, during football season.

Climbing the Ladder

Betty has been with Border Foods since 2012. Like many, she joined Taco Bell as a teenager and was promoted to Shift Leader by age 18. She remembers doing some “crazy things” during high school like opening her restaurant before heading in to school and handling late-night closings before the weekend. At one point, she juggled two jobs – receptionist by day, Taco Bell by night. 

“It wasn’t filling my cup the same way as Taco Bell,” Betty says of the office role. So she continued climbing our career ladder, being promoted to Assistant General Manager (AGM), bouncing between two Casper locations, and eventually becoming manager and then Market Training Manager (MTM). She spent two of those years traveling to support restaurants in other markets.

“I’ve had the opportunity to support over 20 locations across four states,” she shares. 

At every step along the way, Betty confirms having people believe in her made the difference. “As much work as I was willing to put into it, he was always giving me as much feedback,” she says of her manager at the time. 

Eventually, Betty was nudged to consider the AC program but she didn’t think her supervisors were serious! So, the idea was pushed aside. After some reflection, Betty says she decided to give AC training a shot with the notion that it was worth the effort, even if she didn’t pursue an AC position.

[pull quote] “Growth doesn’t stop. Seeing that Area 50 wasn’t there before, [Border Foods] grew so that I could continue growing.” – Betty Burgess, Area Coach

Just as she started her three-month training, the current AC (her supervisor) had to take a leave of absence. Betty says this unexpected turn of events gave her access to multiple ACs instead of just one.

“I was very lucky to have that opportunity to learn and grow through a variety of perspectives,” she says.

She credits Octivia for setting her up for success during that time and also continuing to model great leadership. Alyssa Lara, now an MTM, has also been a role model. “She really showed me how important it is to care for your people as a leader.”

Wondering About Wyoming?

According to Octivia, company leadership have their eyes on some additional sites throughout Wyoming. Betty confesses she’d love to have a fourth location under her, specifically in Casper. “I think both of the Casper stores are set to be $4 million-plus restaurants this year,” she shares.

With these strong female leaders at the helm, we’ll be ready however our growth plays out in the region.

“There is no challenge that Betty won’t accept and work through,” says Octivia. “What gives me full confidence that Betty will be a successful AC for [Area 50] is her willingness to thrive. She is relentless and her approach shows.”

Area 50’s future is in good hands!

General Manager (GM) Lexxy Husted is incredibly excited about having an updated Taco Bell. And for us, a happy leader means everything! Lexxy is GM of our Allendale, MI location, a growing college town with Grand Valley State University just down the street.

Remodeling the Allendale Taco Bell, according to Lexxy, made her team feel important, seen and truly cared for.

Allendale’s midterm refresh took less than two weeks and was completed in May. Operations only had to shut down fully for two days (while the kitchen was updated); drive-thru service remained available the rest of the time!

Lexxy says her team, many of whom are college-aged, were equally excited. They’d often move the plastic floor-to-ceiling sheeting to sneak a peek at what was going on during their shifts.

The Details

Allendale’s exterior has been transformed from Taco Bell’s previous color palette to a more modern mix of purple, grey and white accents that’s becoming more prominent today. Lexxy says other outside updates included redoing sidewalks, a new building sign and artwork, and the welcome addition of purple LED lights.

Allendale’s kitchen refresh included expanded dish space, new countertops and more shelving. Lexxy says she asked for a bigger freezer and got it! At Border Foods we pride ourselves on listening and giving our restaurant teams a voice.

The lobby reopened with new furniture, tables and lighting; an updated front counter area; a new slushy machine; and freshened up walls. The bathroom was also remodeled, which any guest or member of the team will appreciate. 

“I like how the customers really enjoy it,” Lexxy says. “It looks nice; now it’s new and inviting more people in.”

Perhaps most importantly, Lexxy got the DoorDash walkup window she’s wanted for so long! Previously, door dashers would hold up the ordering line. Now, with the new sliding window, these guests only have to come into the vestibule (between exterior and interior doors) to buzz and notify the team; they no longer have to enter the lobby. This is especially helpful during late-night shifts.

“It really helps my speed a lot,” Lexxy says. “And the safety of my crew members.”

Several QSR competitors are in the area – including Burger King, McDonald’s and Arby’s – but they all close earlier, according to Lexxy. So with lots of traffic, kids being out of school for the summer and plenty of people living in surrounding areas, the Allendale Taco Bell sees lots of action – day or night! 

Check out the Allendale glow up for yourself! Visit today:

4989 Lake Michigan Drive
Allendale, MI

When people think about restaurant operations, they probably don’t picture a warehouse.

But for Border Foods, the opening of our first standalone warehouse — affectionately known as our “South Campus” because of its proximity to the home office — marks a major milestone in how we support Taco Bells across our system.

More than a place to store equipment and supplies, the new warehouse serves as a centralized hub for technology, facilities and remodel operations. By bringing inventory, expertise and key departments under one roof, we’re creating faster solutions, stronger collaboration and new opportunities for growth.

To learn more about the impact of this investment, we sat down with recently promoted Director of Construction Nate Wenger.

The new warehouse is a collaborative environment where our main focus is supporting Border Foods in any way we can.

– Nate Wenger, Director of Construction

A New Era of Restaurant Support

The need for a dedicated warehouse had been building for years.

Before the creation of our south campus, we relied on multiple unmanned storage spaces spread throughout the Upper Midwest. While the setup worked for emergency situations, it created challenges around inventory management, shipping logistics and overall organization.

“Thankfully, the right location became available and allowed us to keep office staff close to the home office,” Nate explains. “Combined with our ongoing storage lease expenses and the introduction of internal technology technicians, it became clear that we needed a dedicated, manned space.”

Today, our new warehouse location allows us to order, stock and ship items quickly from one central location.

The result? Faster service and less downtime for restaurants, which also means increased guest satisfaction!

“This warehouse gives us the opportunity to house parts, equipment and tech support right at our fingertips,” Nate shares. “Restaurants should see quicker turnaround on requested service.”

From Storage Space to Service Center

While the warehouse certainly provides more room, the real value lies in what it allows our team to do.

By maintaining inventory on-site, we can respond more quickly when critical equipment fails or technology issues arise. Instead of waiting days — or even weeks — for outside vendors and suppliers, the team can often provide same-day or next-day support.

“When a fryer went down in our Wausau market, we were able to pull parts from a used fryer and overnight them to the servicing technician,” he says. “The fryer was back up and running in less than 24 hours. Without this setup, we may have waited up to a week for parts to arrive.”

For restaurant teams, that speed can make a significant difference in both operations and the guest experience.

More Than a Warehouse

One of the unique aspects of our south campus is that it doesn’t just house inventory — it houses people!

The Facilities, Technology and Remodel teams now share the same workspace, creating an environment where collaboration happens naturally throughout the day.

Because team members are working alongside the parts, equipment and inventory they support, they can troubleshoot issues, share expertise and find solutions more efficiently. According to Nate, that proximity has already transformed the way the departments work together.

“The turnaround time on issue resolution has greatly improved and the teamwork atmosphere is very healthy,” he says.

Building for What’s Next

For Nate, one of the most exciting aspects of having a standalone warehouse is what it represents for the future.

The warehouse serves as a foundation for Border Foods’ growing internal service capabilities. While today’s focus includes technology support, the model creates opportunities to expand support services even further in the years ahead. It also demonstrates Border Foods’ commitment to investing in long-term solutions that help all of our Taco Bells operate more efficiently.

As we continue to grow, we have the infrastructure needed to scale support while maintaining the responsiveness restaurant teams depend on.

A Milestone Worth Celebrating

When Nate first walked into the completed warehouse, one thought immediately came to mind: “It feels like home.”

That sense of ownership reflects the work that went into bringing this project to life. From consolidating inventory across multiple storage locations to creating systems that maximize efficiency, the journey required extensive planning and coordination.

Looking back, Nate says he’s most proud of how the affected departments have grown together throughout the process.

And looking ahead, he’s excited by what the warehouse makes possible.

“The growth-minded approach that Border Foods takes empowers us to always look ahead, share ideas and even take risks to improve current operations and allow for future growth,” he says.

To some, this may be a new building, but its purpose is significant: helping Border Foods restaurants get the support they need, when they need it.

And that’s something worth making room for!

In late 2025, we moved our remodel and facilities teams into a beautiful new warehouse within steps of our home office.

It’s an exciting milestone for our company, and most especially the very department it houses. Previously, the back half of Border Foods’ home office served as a warehouse for equipment storage. Now, we have our first standalone facility!

Today, we’re excited to follow up this building update with some promotion news. Nate Wenger has been promoted to Director of Construction and Chris Brown is now Border Foods’ Director of Facilities.

Nate Wenger: Constructing a Bold Future for Border

Nate joined Border Foods in 1998 as a General Manager (GM) and worked his way up to Market Training Manager (MTM), with brief time away from the company. Upon his return in 2006, Nate again managed a restaurant and was later promoted to Area Coach (AC). In 2019, he accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse — Manager of Construction — where he oversaw remodels and supported new construction. Nate is credited for taking Border Foods’ remodel program to the next level by standardizing project timelines, meeting budgets, minimizing restaurant closures, and implementing a punch list process that has ensured teams didn’t have open items long after a restaurant opened to the public.

Nate has set the bar high for his team.

– Brian Davies, VP of Facilities

Now, Nate takes on a role that’s brand new to the company as Director of Construction. “Border Foods has been such an incredible supporter of promoting from within and Nate is a great example of that,” says Brian Davies, VP of Facilities.

It’s Nate’s deep understanding of the restaurant business and Taco Bell brand, according to Brian, that’s helped focus his team on addressing the needs of our operators and what each restaurant team needs to be successful. 

“He really cares about what he does and it shows,” Brian says.

Chris Brown: Facilitating Smooth Operations

Chris joined Border Foods in 2017, fresh out of college with a degree in facility management. His impact on our Facilities Department was immediate. He’s taken several regular routines of the department and restructured them to save time and money. From the very start, he exhibited a creative mind and desire to improve all that he touches. Whether it’s a process or a project, Chris is always looking for ways to make things better, faster, more efficient. 

Like Nate, Chris’ role as Director of Facilities is incredibly important to restaurant operations. He and his team are responsible for communicating directly with restaurants on all facility needs, as well as a large percentage of non-development capital projects. As requests come in, he deploys the team.

This Director of Facilities role was once Brian’s, but according to him, Chris juggles a much larger workload, more locations and larger scope of work. And oversee 300-plus external vendors in multiple markets!Congratulations to Nate and Chris for their promotions! These two join our recently hired Director of Technology, Tony Dinh, and have become a dynamic trio to be reckoned with, according to Brian. “They regularly feed off of each others’ strengths to make them stronger and in turn … have come together to make the Border Family better.”

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).

Carlos was the only one at P.F. Chang’s to win both “Kitchen of the Year” and “Restaurant of the Year”!

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!

We’re turning up the heat! Border Foods has been selected to run a Cantina Chicken Bowl flavor test at all of our 56 Taco Bells in Grand Rapids, MI (along with surrounding franchisees). This is the first time this market has been selected by Taco Bell Corporate for what’s known in industry lingo as a Rapid Innovation Test (RIT). Read about another bold brand RIT we did.

Now through April 15, Grand Rapids locations will offer both the Chicken Cantina Bowl – Chili Lime and Chicken Cantina Bowl – Cotija. According to Region Coach LouAnn Hansen, the primary difference between the standard Chicken Cantina Bowl and these two test items is the finishing flavor component added during the final stage of assembly (either chili lime seasoning or fiery cotija cheese dip).

Why Grand Rapids?

According to LouAnn, Grand Rapids continues to be a strong test market due to:

• Consistent operational execution;
• High training compliance;
• Reliable speed and accuracy metrics; and
• A diverse guest base that provides meaningful feedback.

In addition, Grand Rapids has shown strong performance in Cantina Chicken and other flavor-forward limited time offerings, which makes it an ideal environment for testing these new flavor extensions.

“We anticipate [a] strong curiosity-driven trial followed by repeat purchase — particularly with the cotija build offering a more premium flavor profile,” LouAnn shares.

SIzzling Success

RITs are designed to evaluate new menu builds, operational feasibility and real-time guest response before Taco Bell considers a broader rollout. It’s important that there’s little to no impact on speed of service.

LouAnn says success for this Cantina Chicken Bowl flavor test will be evaluated based on:

• Strong target setting with teams;
• Proper deployment during peak hours;
• Consistent execution of build standards; and
• Guest engagement and accurate order taking. 

As always, we’re proud of our innovative brand and pleased to partner with Taco Bell Corporate on taste test projects like this in an effort to make our menus better!

Big shoutout to our teams in Grand Rapids! Being selected for an RIT is a big deal! It’s your dedication, consistency in execution and demonstrated ability to take on new challenges that show Corporate we are a trusted partner for tasty real-world innovation tests.

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;
• Our Heart of Border Foods, Circle of Excellence, Of the Year and Core Value award winners; and
• The 2026 Best of the Best (BOTB) list of lucky people who’ll travel to Mexico with us in April!

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.

-Aaron Engler, CEO & President

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! 

1. 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!

Read More

2. Congrats to Our 2024 Signature Restaurants & Golden Bell Winners

Bringin’ home the gold! We celebrated another round of impressive restaurant and individual awards, the highest honors given in the Taco Bell system.

Read More

3. New Heart of Border Foods Award Winners

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.

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4. Simply the Best of the Best Winners

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!

Read More

5. Introducing Our Circle of Excellence Winners

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.  

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6. Pam Hare: Leading Changed Her Life

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.

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7. Border Brings New Restaurant Design to Life

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! 

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8. Border Foods Grows to 250 Taco Bells Nationwide

We celebrate another saucy milestone – reaching the big 2-5-0. We don’t mean to brag but, that’s a whole lotta tacos over 30 years!

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9. Will Run for Tacos: Taco Bell 50K

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.

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10. 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.

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