Many of our top performers are sun-kissed, having just returned from Border Foods’ company-sponsored “Best of the Best” (BOTB) rewards trip in Cancún, Mexico. Bringing the best of Border and the ‘Bell straight to the beach!
To snag a seat at BOTB is a big deal around here. The majority of this year’s trip winners represent the top 20% of our 250-plus Taco Bells. And as many will tell you, they’ve got their teams to thank for stellar metrics.
I have my team to thank for this. They really went above and beyond.
Skyla Behm, RGM
“This … is the largest awards trip in the [Taco Bell] system,” company President Aaron Engler shared in his toast to guests. “So you guys keep doing what you do and we’ll keep doing more of this for you!”
BOTB 2024 welcomed excited first-time winners Skyla Behm (St. Paul, MN) and the destination’s “Best Dressed Male,” Brandon Wagner (Bettendorf, IA), both of whom had never been to Mexico (Brandon said he’d never been out of the country!) We had repeat winners, too — Heather Schwartz has been to BOTB eight times!
We’re Taco Bell, we live más … Brandan Wagner, RGM
Brandan Wagner, RGM
Trip highlights included optional excursions and watersports, delectable meals, fun in the sun, and leisure time. We also had fun conjuring up on-the-fly awards like “Best Color” for Heather Aos (is it a tan or a sunburn?), “Pool Table Shark” (thank you, TJ Wegler!) and “Pool Hostess” Luann Fuerstenburg.
It was a fun time — let the countdown for next year’s trip begin!
Growth continues to be the name of the game for Border Foods. We recently celebrated the grand opening of our Taco Bell restaurant at Clyde Park Ave in Wyoming, MI! This location marks store No. 4 for Border Foods in the area.
This newest restaurant is located near the intersection of Clyde Park Avenue and 54th Street, just off the extremely busy U.S. 131. Most notably, the area is also home to a large UPS processing facility, Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center, Spectrum Entertainment Complex (with bowling, golf simulators and an arcade), and large shopping attractions, offering a tremendous opportunity for us to attract hungry shoppers. We’re happy to provide quality food fast!
Restaurant General Manager (RGM) Bryce Jones has been in the food service business for 13 years and started his career with Border Foods in the fall of 2023. Of the opportunity, Bryce says, “I’m excited to be a part of a company that has a great set of core values to operate around.”
Bryce has the support of two assistant managers, Aimee Lyons and Byron Morris; two Shift Leads, Kahdejah Burns and Ka’Breanna Neal; and a staff of 32.
I am excited to build an awesome culture, and demonstrate what it means to have pride in your work ethic each and every shift.
Bryce Jones, RGM
Area Coach (AC) Amanda Schlee has worked tirelessly to support the onboarding of our new Clyde Park team. Thank you so much, Amanda, for the incredible hard work and your positivity in getting this restaurant opened! As always, we could not execute this new addition without the teamwork from our supporting RGM, Tracy Broton, and our corporate office.
An Above Restaurant Leader(ARL) meeting recently welcomed every ARL from the entire company for a few days of growth, training and learning, where we spent time focusing on an exciting new offering planned for 2024: Heartstyles!
Heartstyles is a leadership development program designed to give Border Foods team members the tools to become the best versions of themselves, lead authentically, and build a workplace culture that unlocks team member potential and delivers strong results.
The Heartstyles philosophy of giving individuals and teams the ability to create positive outcomes for themselves and others really resonated with Border Foods’ mission to live our core values. Like“excellence,” which we define as taking initiative, embracing challenges and working to exceed expectations while striving to realize opportunities for continuous improvement.
Heartstyles is really about personal development.
Sharla Hennek, VP of Human Resources
Taco Bell Corporate recently invited us to take part in a“train the trainer” class. As a result, five Border Foods HR team members and one Operations leader became certified to facilitate and teach the Heartstyles class at Border Foods!
The Soft Launch
To give these leaders the opportunity to see the benefits of their training, we began small with pilot classes for our HR team and Region Coaches. The next phase is to facilitate a class for the rest of the ARLs, Area Coaches and some ACs in training. Our goal is to open up Heartstyles to our Restaurant General Managers(RGMs)in 2024.
Aligning with our core value of accountability, Border Foods is willing to take responsibility for our actions and their impact on performance outcomes,which is where this new leadership training resource comes in!
“By influencing and helping our leaders be more effective in engaging with the team that they support within the restaurants, it’s going to help drive interactions with the guests,” Sharla shares.
Stay tuned for more on this amazing new initiative! And if you want to work for a company that’s dedicated to your personal growth, consider applying to join our team today!
You can’t stop a good thing! And we think bringing more Taco Bells to taco-lovin’ Minnesota is a delectable idea!
One of our newest locations is in St. Paul suburb White Bear Lake at 4600 Centerville Road. It opened in early October 2023 and has been a great addition to our Twin Cities metro operations.
Management of the new White Bear Lake Taco Bell includes Region Coach Nathan Besler, Area Coach Brittany Siebenaler and Restaurant General Manager (RGM) Jerry Vang, who is new to the Border Foods family. Jerry is supported by Assistant Manager Meranda Ards and Shift Leader Katrina Bennick.
About RGM Jerry
Jerry joined us in January 2023 after having worked for a family-owned restaurant. He trained at our Pheasant Ridge Taco Bell in Blaine, MN and then transitioned to Robert Street in Saint Paul. He was specifically hired by Brittany to lead this new location — her first new build. Brittany worked diligently to prepare and develop Jerry for this career opportunity.
We are proud of Brittany’s dedication to proper training and development for our newest location.
Jerry and the entire White Bear Lake team spent a lot of time training at the Oakdale Taco Bell. For this, we are incredibly grateful for RGM Nathaniel Kukura’s time and attention. We couldn’t have done this without the love and support from his entire team.
The White Bear Lake Taco Bell currently has a staff of 14 team members, however, we’re looking for more people! After all, Jerry aims to staff, train and develop a team that is one to be proud of! So don’t wait, check out our job openings today.
What’s up at Border Foods? Last year,“up” was defined by Defy taking Taco Bell up a story!
We’re concluding another blissfully busy year of más operations in 10 states. Check out the year’s most exciting highlights:
Read more about this year’s happenings below and remember, updates are frequently posted on our social channels Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!
New COO
Formerly Director of Operations, Border Foods’ own Vince Bosscher stepped confidently into the role of Chief Operating Officer(COO) to propel us into the future. It wasn’t easy saying farewell to our good friend and leader Jeff Williams after nearly 30 years together(his retirement announcement was one of our top read blog posts for the year)!
Border, the“Bell” & Bikes
A handful of Border Foods Taco Bell restaurants played host to a hungry group of cyclists as they rode through the Twin Cities.
The legacy of our late leader Carol Williams lives on in a new way with the new name of Taco Bell’s POS system. Border Foods won the system’s naming rights via a silent auction and let Carol’s middle name inspire“Annspire”!
Reward & Recognition
An annual highlight, our“Best of the Best” reward trip to Playa del Carmen did not disappoint. We were pleased to treat 80 of our finest(and their guests) to a tropical escape.
Savoring Scholarships
Border Foods hosted its first Swinging for Scholarships golf fundraiser, an event we plan to make annual. Our inaugural golf event brought in $120,000 for Border’s in-house scholarship programs. In addition, we celebrated the divvying out of $125,000 in Taco Bell Foundation Live Más Scholarships to 12 of our student employees.
New & Notable
As promised, there’s no slowdown in sight! We enjoyed many restaurant openings in 2023, most notably:
We kicked off a new series on our blog that features folks like Brian Davies who have reached 30-plus years of service with Border Foods and/or Taco Bell. Psssst, Juli Sargent hit 41 years!
Family Fun Events
It never gets old! We had plenty of fun in the sun this summer with our managers and their families, bouncing around from state to state. See it for yourself here.
Nifty Nearly Fifty
Forty-seven of our Taco Bells were named Signature Restaurants in 2023, a best-in-class designation we’re proud of every day!
Social Status
We like being social. Both our Instagram and Facebook accounts welcomed 131 new followers in 2023! And it looks like we got your attention with this Insta $100 giveaway(344 comments, engagement of 531) and on Facebook, people news on Tamara and new COO Vince brought the most crowd engagement.
NEW HOPE, Minn. (May 17, 2023) — Border Foods welcomed its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) Vince Bosscher today, who has formally stepped into the new role after serving as the family-owned franchisee’s director of operations over the last four years. The change was prompted by previous COO Jeff Williams’ decision to transition out of his former role toward retirement. To allow for a smooth transition, Williams will stay on in an advisory capacity with the business through the end of the year.
“At Border Foods, we believe that good food and service starts and ends with good people. Jeff and Vince are living proof of this belief,” said Border Foods President Aaron Engler. “I am honored that Jeff chose to devote the better part of his career to Border Foods, sharing his time and wisdom to make our family-owned business even greater; he leaves behind a huge legacy. I am excited for Vince to carry on Jeff’s work, embracing talent and new tools to encourage continued success in all that Border accomplishes.”
“For 27 years, Jeff has been an invaluable asset to the Border Foods family, leading with smarts, heart and humility,” said Border Foods Vice President of Human Resources Sharla Hennek. “We look forward to Vince’s collaborative leadership as the incoming COO, driven by his commitment to all the people who make Border such a wonderful place to work.”
Williams began his Border Foods career in 1996 as a district manager, later moving into the company’s corporate roles as senior vice president before eventually becoming Border’s COO in 2018. Throughout his time at Border Foods, Williams has focused on strengthening the franchisee’s staffing levels at its original 62 restaurants across the upper Midwest; cultivated a welcoming family culture through the creation of annual appreciation events and prizes like Family Fun Days and complimentary Best of the Best trips; and prioritized employee success and well-being through robust employees benefits and educational scholarships.
“It has been a dream come true to spend the better part of three decades helping to build and run such a special business,” said Williams. “While family is at the core of Border Foods’ culture, it is truly excellence, teamwork and community that drives everyone. The sky is the limit for this business; I am excited to see everything new that Border accomplishes under Vince’s leadership.”
Bosscher has over 25 years’ worth of experience with the brand and originally began working with Border Foods as a Taco Bell Corporate operations consultant, before he was eventually hired as an associate region coach at Border Foods in November 2017. In 2018, Vince was promoted to region coach and in 2019, advanced to his current role as director of operations, where he has spent the last four years building a robust team in the eastern region of Border Foods’ operations.
“Border’s team of innovative, talented and caring people is what makes its future so bright,” said Bosscher. “I’m excited to get to work on building upon its history of exceptional service and delicious food, and most importantly, continue to cultivate its irreplicable family culture.”
ABOUT BORDER FOODS
Border Foods is a family-owned franchisee of Taco Bell, the nation’s leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant. With more than 200 locations (and growing) across the Upper Midwest, it is one of the largest Taco Bell franchises in the country. Headquartered in New Hope, Minnesota, the company has a people-first culture where leaders work to develop team members for long-term careers with the brand and beyond. Learn more at BorderFoods.com.
It’s one of the most festive times of the year companywide. We just concluded rah rah recognition rallies in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. In total, an estimated 275 team members showed up to these events!
Our people are met with excitement the minute they enter — high fives, party music and chatter grows with intensity. It’s obvious that Border Foods rallies are “come as you are” events where hoodies, baseball caps and Taco Bell merch are welcome.
At Border Foods, when we rally as a company, we relish in reasons to celebrate! President Aaron Engler shared recent company successes with the Minnesota crowd: year-to-date comp sales of 22.7 percent, 2022 sales hitting $490 million and companywide fundraising pulling in $2.5 million for Taco Bell Foundation’s Round Up program.
From the most motivated individual team members to outstanding teams in our restaurants, we work hard to call attention to everyone’s best efforts. Here are more cheer-provoking highlights:
Award presentations in Minnesota kicked off with the reveal of three unsuspecting but well deserving Heart of Border Foods recipients: kindhearted RGM Donald Mendoza; Loss Prevention Manager Ed Heskett, a man of true integrity; and the lively Area Coach Zack Shumaker;
Jose Jimenez was named RGM of the Year; Miguel Avila, AC of the Year; and Ken Lund, Region Coach of the Year;
We announced the launch of a new in-house reward program for managers called Club Fuego;
Restaurants with the highest sales (Stinson, MN made $5 MILLION in 2022!) and fastest drive-thru speed of service were celebrated, among the many other restaurant-level achievements;
And many more deserving individuals (see the full list) were recognized for their service (congrats to Julilyn Sargent for 40 years!), leadership and commitment to excellence.
Taco Bell’s newest, most innovative restaurant prototype, Border Foods’ Defy in Brooklyn Park, opened its drive-thru lanes June 7 and continues to cause buzz in the media. Most recently, Taco Bell COO Mike Grams was featured on Restaurant Business’ podcast, A Deeper Dive. Take a listen here to what he has to say about Defy,“the future of digital with a hint of traditional.”
The brainchild of Border Foods’ own Jeff and Lee Engler, and a strong example of synergistic collaboration between a franchisee and Taco Bell, Defy truly defied odds with its quick construction timeline, fast forwarding from conceptual idea to a grand opening celebration in just under two years. And also becoming one positive thing to emerge out of a modern pandemic!
The excitement on opening day was obvious among event attendees, which included many of Defy’s 50-some restaurant employees; the Engler brothers; President Aaron Engler and members of the Border Foods’ leadership team; and representatives from the City of Brooklyn Park, Taco Bell corporate, and Vertical Works.
Aaron Engler declared Defy’s significance as“the first in the country, in the world, of anything like this for any quick service restaurant, not just Taco Bell.”
Mike and Brooklyn Park Mayor Lisa Jacobson also gave remarks on opening day to the crowd.
“We have over 90 restaurants, but we don’t have anything like this!” Mayor Jacobson said.“And neither does anybody else!”
The event concluded appropriately, with confetti and tacos for all. Check it out:
New concept reimagines the traditional drive-thru with an elevated kitchen and unique vertical lift that delivers food to four drive-thru lanes for a faster, contactless experience
Brooklyn Park, Minn. (June 6, 2022) – Minnesota-based and family-owned Taco Bell® franchisee Border Foods today announced that Taco Bell Defy® will open its doors – and most importantly, its four-lane drive-thru – in Brooklyn Park on June 7. The first of its kind two-story model delivers innovative technology and design, like a proprietary vertical lift to transport iconic Taco Bell menu items straight from the kitchen to customers.
“Taco Bell Defy embodies the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of Minnesota businesses and franchisees,” said Lee Engler, co-founder and CEO of Border Foods. “It is a creative, technological solution for a faster, contactless experience for as many Taco Bell fans as possible and is poised to be the future of quick-service dining.”
Taco Bell Defy aims to reduce service times to two minutes or less, all while providing fans with a fun, easy and seamless drive-thru experience. Regardless of how customers order, Taco Bell Defy has four lanes to accommodate them:
Pre-orders: Customers who order via the Taco Bell app will score skip-the-line service. For ultimate ease and convenience, the Taco Bell App can be downloaded ahead of time by visiting the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Delivery drivers: For those ordering through a third-party delivery partner, drivers will be able to process orders with the goal of providing an even faster delivery time.
Traditional drive-thru: For those who prefer to drop in for their favorite menu items, there’s one lane dedicated solely for this purpose.
Minneapolis-based Vertical Works Inc. merged innovation, design and manufacturing to concept and build much of what fans can expect from Defy, and in doing so reinvented the drive-thru experience. Vertical Works is powered by WORKSHOP and PD Instore.
“We applied our innovative approach to problem solving to create a brand-new way for consumers to access fast food,” said Josh Hanson, co-founder of Vertical Works and CEO and founder of WORKSHOP. “We know today’s consumer expects a convenient and memorable experience, and the Taco Bell Defy concept delivers on both.”
“We were excited to partner with Border Foods and Taco Bell to bring the Taco Bell Defy concept to life,” said Mike Strommen, co-founder of Vertical Works and CEO of PD Instore. “The Border Foods team was facing challenges with streamlining the journey from order to meal hand-off, and the Vertical Works team presented a solution to not only address this, but also deliver a more impactful customer experience overall. Taco Bell Defy’s unique design combined with innovative technology delivers food to consumers faster and more efficiently.”
From digital check-in screens for mobile order customers’ unique QR codes, to a two-way audio and video technology service for customers to talk to team members on the second floor, Taco Bell Defy boasts many features that could show up in future Taco Bell restaurants in the US. In the meantime, Border Foods and Taco Bell are considering potential retrofits that could be made to several of Taco Bell Defy’s neighboring restaurants.
“Taco Bell Defy is an incredible innovation for our brand, and one that’s meeting our consumer in a really unique way. For decades we’ve been committed to providing a fast, safe and friendly drive-thru experience; now with our bold goal of creating a two minute or less drive-thru experience for customers of this concept, Taco Bell Defy is the future,” said Mike Grams, Taco Bell President and Global COO. “We’re thankful for our incredible 36-year partnership with Border Foods and feel like Taco Bell Defy is a culmination of years of success between our teams, along with the expertise of local partners like Vertical Works who helped make this possible.”
Today was an exciting day in Dickinson, ND! We officially began renovations to our newly acquired Taco Bell restaurant in the town, conveniently located near the busy Interstate 94 and State Highway 22 interchange. The Dickinson location at 1560 3rd Ave. W. will briefly close in the fall to facilitate larger construction updates ahead of an anticipated completion in November.
“As a family-owned business we strive to bring comfortable, high-quality and delicious dining experiences to all of our communities,” said Border Foods President Aaron Engler.
Good food and service start and end with good people, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to bring that philosophy to the Taco Bell in Dickinson.
– Border Foods President Aaron Engler
In addition to a Taco Bell facelift, we’re hosting an online silent auction for memorabilia from the Dickinson restaurant and other Taco Bell items. Residents can bid farewell to the old restaurant and get excited for the new renovations and ownership by bidding on items starting now until September 30, with all proceeds benefitting the United Way of Dickinson.
In December 2020, we acquired 11 North Dakota Taco Bell restaurants in Bismarck, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown and West Fargo. Two Fargo-area locations recently reopened after renovations.
“With more families, visitors and businesses discovering North Dakota’s dynamic offerings, it’s important our restaurants reflect their needs,” said Border Foods North Dakota Region Coach Pam Hare. “We’re excited to be part of the community and debut a new experience for Dickinson diners with this most recent renovation.”
As part of the celebration today, a few members from a Facebook page called “How the Dickinson Taco Bell Ruined My Life” joined the Border Foods team to participate in the demo. Justin Wall, a Dickinson resident and Facebook group member, said that the service and upkeep of their beloved Dickinson Taco Bell declined over the years. He was excited to hear that the location was under new ownership.
Border Foods is currently hiring at its Dickinson location, as well as several others across the state. As a family-owned franchisee with a people-first culture, the company uniquely positions team members for long-term careers both within and outside of the brand. A complete list of job openings and an online application can be found here.
