We get it. A craving for [insert-your-favorite-taco-bell-menu-item-here] can strike anywhere. And when it does, you can’t stop thinking about it until you’re reunited with the crunchy, cheesy, cravable creation that stole your heart. But what happens when there isn’t a Taco Bell nearby?! Guess it’s a good thing we opened nearly 300 new restaurants last year, and we’re on track to add 2,000 more restaurants by 2022.
You could say we’re on fire. Of the Diablo sort. But it takes more than great food and great new restaurants to meet your every Taco Bell desire. It also takes great people.
Sure, it’s easy to see we’re in the business of making tacos, but at heart, we’re a business that’s fueled by the energy and passion of people serving people. Our team members are our front line. They are our biggest brand ambassadors. And it’s often a job that kickstarts someone’s career and future success. #firstsevenjobs.
We take our responsibility to give young people a place to start seriously, knowing that someone’s all-important first job is a great place to work and grow. The passion and energy today’s youth bring to our restaurants helps create our unique Taco Bell experience, which is why we’ve committed to hiring roughly 1.5 million people aged 16-24 over the next 10 years. Better yet, we’re creating pathways for these team members to tap into their potential and earn the credentials they need to succeed on the job – and wherever they go in life.
But did you know that nearly 5.6 million young Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are currently out of school and unemployed? To us, this number represents untapped potential and unrecognized passions. That’s why, one year ago, we signed up to be a charter member of a coalition of leading U.S. companies, whose sole purpose is to hire young people who are out of school and not working. And as part of the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, we’ve traveled the country participating in job fairs in Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle where we’ve met hundreds of incredible youth, helped prepare these youth for interviews and job opportunities and gave out 250 jobs on the spot. And that’s in addition to the 7,000 youth team members between ages 16-24 we hired at our stores across the country (over the past year/since June 2015.)
Who knows? When you’re the developer of the next big app, headlining your own national comedy tour or starring in the next Broadway play that you wrote yourself, maybe you’ll think back to where you heard ‘you’re hired’ for the first time. Taco Bell could be that place. The place where you learned to make amazing tacos and cheesy Quesalupas. And where you learned the value of great customer service. It might even be where you finish a college degree.
So, ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow. Opportunity may not always knock – but at Taco Bell it rings loud and clear.