When Area Coach Patty Alvarez joined Taco Bell at age 20, she didn’t know any English. She says the restaurant business became her “school.” Though the language barrier prevented her from being confident in her abilities, at DRG, we find it hard to hold back greatness!
“I was learning in the process,” Patty says, reflecting.
She began her career with tacos as a cook, working the graveyard shift. Through several promotions and pep talks from leaders around her, it didn’t take long to bounce up the ladder of opportunity at DRG.
“I wanted to move up, I wanted to… to be someone.”
Today, she’s definitely someone! DRG has enlisted Patty to oversee our Taco Bells in southern California.
Patty’s Journey
A lot of people pushed Patty along the way, she says, helping her look past her insecurities with English as her second language. She was lucky to land a mentor within DRG who not only encouraged her to pursue the Area Coach role, but also offered to spend time with her outside of work to help prep for the next level of management. At DRG, we cultivate leaders who are equipped to develop others.
For Patty, one challenge she had to face head on to get to that next level was public speaking, but the very thought of it led to panic attacks. Believing in her, Patty’s mentor set her up with some additional training. Sometimes it just takes one special person to keep you going.
You can tell there have always been people cheering Patty on, including her mom. But make no mistake, Patty deserves credit for her success, too. At one point, she worked not one but two Taco Bell jobs at the same time, working from 6 a.m. to at least 2 a.m. the following morning!
“I think what kept me motivated in coming to work every day was … I needed to provide to [sic] my family,” she says.
Though advancement has been scary, she’s also grown to embrace a good challenge, whether it’s accepting a promotion or managing a restaurant all by herself.
So what kind of leader is Patty? According to her, she focuses on motivating her team and making sure people are having fun (one of our core values!). In fact, this is what she has to say about why someone should work for Taco Bell:
Why Taco Bell? “Because you’re not going to come to work, you’re going to have fun!”
Fun is precisely what’s kept Patty around all these years; that and company culture. She’s obviously shared what she loves with her children — Patty’s oldest daughter, age 28, now works for Taco Bell, too.
“It’s about the energy, the positive attitude, the culture of the store,” she says. “Having a good culture in the store is one of the most important things to me.”
“When you get to the stores and you see those employees’ faces, the smiles on their faces,” she continues. “That’s when you know that you’re in the right place.” And with Patty as an inspiring example, Taco Bell is a great place to start a career!
