We caught up with dedicated Service and Food Champion Brenda Foley in Cancún, Mexico, where she was enjoying some well-deserved beachside relaxation — on us! Brenda, a 30-year veteran with our company, won time away from her Taco Bell family in Stillwater, MN, as one of this year’s Heart of Border Foods (HOBF) recipients.
“Brenda cares a lot about people,” HR Business Partner Richelle Johnson shares in the award reveal video. “People who work with her, she’s kind of like a mom to all of those kids in Stillwater.”
The Heart of Border Foods Award is about taking care of others, family and teamwork.
On Becoming Our Beloved Brenda
Brenda takes us back to her beginning with Border Foods. She shares that her career here started when she was babysitting for a restaurant manager who thought she should come work for her at Taco Bell. Starting as a Service Champion, Brenda recalls working the restaurant lobby for her first five years alongside another revered Border Foods veteran, Sr. Safety & Risk Manager Juli Sargent.
She was a young, single mom at the time. For Brenda, Taco Bell proved to be a great fit (her words, not ours). The champion role offered flexibility for young parents — and later, the very same flexibility was available as she navigated personal health issues.
She’s had several great mentors along the way — and the same has definitely been said about her! Over her three decades with us, Brenda has been offered other internal positions and promotions, some of which she’s turned down. She says she was always certain she didn’t want to get “stuck in an office.”
According to her, it’s rare to work for a company like Border Foods. “They don’t push,” she explains. “They make sure that you’re ready and that, if it’s not a ‘right fit’ for you, it’s not a right fit.”
“It IS like a family … they think about you.” -Brenda Foley, Service & Food Champion
Being supported and mentored throughout the years has helped Brenda to develop into the loved leader she is today. It’s also certainly given her the kind of fulfillment that keeps her beaming light shining so bright for her team and all the restaurant regulars. People come in to the Stillwater Taco Bell just to see her!
Thinking about the Big 3-0
Thirty years with one company is a supreme commitment. What does Brenda think about the milestone?
She recalls a time early on when she met someone who’d been with Border Foods for five years. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that you’ve been there for five years!’” she recounts. “And here I am, my 30 years!”
When asked what’s next for her, Brenda responds, “Just to be who I am still and keep continuing to mentor.“
At Border Foods, we’re proud to be the kind of employer that allows its team members to be their authentic selves.
“I hope I have a lot of good years left to stay [here],” Brenda adds.
Congratulations on your 30-year service anniversary, Brenda! You’ve been a delight to many, and we’re so fortunate to have positive people like you that the next generation can look up to.
