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Diversified Restaurant Group (DRG), one of the largest Taco Bell franchisees operating 325 Taco Bell locations, is opening its newest Taco Bell Cantina in San Jose, CA at Westfield Oakridge Mall (925 Blossom Hill Rd., Suite 1641). A grand opening celebration is slated for Wednesday, August 23, 2023, from 10am – midnight. The first 100 customers will be treated to an exclusive Taco Bell cup. Plus, for every purchase on grand opening day, guests will be entered to win Free Taco Bell for a Year*.
The newest Cantina boasts a retro look with a vintage movie theater display case. It features three ordering kiosks, a pick-up window, and patio seating that can accommodate up to 24 guests. The location also serves alcoholic beverages including liquor, beer and wine. Alcohol is reserved for guests 21 years and older.
“The new San Jose Taco Bell Cantina is a great addition to the community and offers more ease and convenience for customers to dine in, order delivery, or pick up to-go orders,” said SG Ellison, Franchisee of Taco Bell & CEO of Diversified Restaurant Group. “Plus, the cool factor for this location is that customers can quickly get their Taco Bell and Twisted Freeze fix before or after shopping or seeing a new movie release at the amazing Century Theatre in the Westfield Oakridge Mall.
Want to order ahead from the new San Jose Taco Bell Cantina? Download the Taco Bell app from the App Store or Google Play and be on your way to Live Más.
*Free Taco Bell for a Year includes one meal per week for 52 weeks.
Steve Mizer is one of a lucky few at DRG to have experience with both of our brands, Taco Bell and Arby’s. He’s also had the pleasure of living and working in two entirely different climates — that of the Nevada desert and nature-filled Alaska! This month marks six years of employment with us. Though he got his start in tacos, today, as Senior Area Coach for DRG Meats Alaska (and Arby’s Area Coach of the Year, we should add), Steve is a champion for roast beef.
Steve was working on the Taco Bell side in Las Vegas when another DRG Taco Bell opportunity opened up in Reno — “I raised my hand, volunteered and moved the family,” Steve recalls. Then his wife’s career led them back to Vegas but there weren’t any openings to stay with the brand in the same role. That’s when he switched to Arby’s.
“It was kind of an exciting reset, fresh start,” he says. “A whole new brand, whole new culture.”
According to Steve, Arby’s culture is similar to Taco Bell’s in that it’s about the people. From that perspective, the change doesn’t seem so dramatic. But seasonality is a different story! There are whole cities from Fairbanks to Anchorage that close down for winter, affecting local businesses. From October to the beginning of May, he says, business is focused on the people of Alaska. Then the sudden influx of summer travelers brings with it unique staffing challenges (locals are hard pressed to make money in just four months). In his 30-plus years in the industry, he’s never seen anything like it.
“At DRG, you really get adventure.” -Steve Mizer, Area Coach
So how did Steve end up in Alaska? He started traveling to his new market last fall, eventually visiting with his wife to scope it out for a potential move and then giving a PowerPoint to their two teenagers to get their “buy in” (“it was important that they have a voice”).
“It’s been a challenge but fun,” he says. Alaska is isolated and yet “the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
It’s full of surprises: frost heaves in the roadways and heated sidewalks, whole cities between Fairbanks and Anchorage closed for the winter, moose in the drive-thru.
“Nature is everywhere here,” he shares. “It’s neat to see. Definitely makes you stop and appreciate.”
DRG has nine Arby’s restaurants throughout Alaska. Spread out over 500 miles, the majority are in and around Anchorage with two in Fairbanks and two on the Kenai Peninsula. Steve is responsible for taking the market to the next level.
He says 2023 is about stabilizing the market. Next year, DRG will start building in Alaska again to bring the total Arby’s count to 15 and create more opportunity.
“It starts with the right leadership,” Steve says. “That sets the culture. My team doesn’t work for me, I work for them … this creates a culture where people feel supported, valued.”
Steve believes his job is to support the team and remove roadblocks to success. That’s valuable perspective coming from someone who’s just been publicly named Arby’s Area Coach of the Year!
Though there’s never any guarantee, you may be surprised to hear that landing this award was something he set out to do at the beginning of the year — with intention.
“Why not me?” he says he asked himself. What impressive determination! Are you inspired to find your job with Arby’s?
DRG has Arby’s restaurants in Alaska, California, and Nevada. When you join our Arby’s team, you’ll have an opportunity to grow your career and take advantage of great benefits like our bonus program, tuition reimbursement and more. Steve says his best advice is to “come for the adventure.” So, what are you waiting for?
Give a warm welcome to our new employees in the San Diego and Riverside Counties!
We are excited to share Diversified Restaurant Group acquired 23 restaurants in the San Diego and Riverside counties, positioning us as the highest grossing Taco Bell franchise in the U.S.!! We are thrilled to welcome new employees to our Southern California market and the DRG family. This milestone is a testament to our collective dedication and hard work. Our unwavering commitment and exceptional service have played a pivotal role in this accomplishment, and we are immensely proud of the strides we continue to make together. Let’s celebrate this achievement and work together to drive further growth and success!
Hear from our CEO and President and So. California Sr. VP of Ops about the evolution of the acquisition and their hopes for the growing market!
Welcome Ben Marmor!
New Chief Financial and Strategy Officer
Welcome Deb Wendorf!
New Sr. VP of Human Resources
Welcome Kara Ramirez!
New VP of Operations, DRG Kansas City
We’re excited to announce the opening of our 8th Taco Bell Cantina in San Jose, CA!
A grand opening so exciting, Nations Restaurant News wrote about it!
DRG celebrated the grand opening of our 325th Taco Bell location and 8th cantina, located next to the Century Theatre in the San Jose Westfield Oakridge Mall. This newest cantina boasts a retro look with a vintage movie theater display case and features three ordering kiosks, a pickup window, and patio seating that can accommodate up to 24 guests. The San Jose cantina also serves alcoholic beverages, including liquor, beer and wine. Customers can grab their Taco Bell favorites and a drink before shopping or heading to the movies! This is another example of why we hold the title of “Driver in the Cantina Space.” Congrats, team!
| TACO BELL 1313 W. Avenue K Lancaster, CA Opening: 9/13/23 | TACO BELL West 75th Overland Park, KS Opening: 9/16/23 |
| TACO BELL 910 E Vista Way, Vista, CA Opening: 10/15/23 | TACO BELL 90 Charter Oak San Fransisco, CA Opening: 11/1/23 |
| TACO BELL 14083 Limonite Ave Eastvale, CA Opening: 11/17/23 | TACO BELL 15498 State Ave Basehor, KS Opening: 11/21/23 |
| TACO BELL 3026 Van Brunt Blvd Kansas City, MO Opening: 12/14/23 |
We were thrilled to join hands with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area for a heartwarming event that left smiles on the faces of both kids and volunteers alike. DRG distributed backpacks filled with supplies to the “bigs” and “littles,” and provided Taco Bell lunch. This partnership exemplified the power of community coming together to make a positive impact. Thank you to James Aman, and all of the Area Coaches and General Managers that made this possible. This was the second year of doing this event and we look forward to many more!
Shout out to the TOP TEN DRG Restaurants that earned the highest Round Up total donations
during the E7 experience!
| Market | Area Coach | General Manager | Restaurant | Round-up $ | Daily Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GGB | Dolores Gonzales | Mindy Augustus | 030941-DEER VALLEY RD | $2432 | $69 |
| SSB | Cesar Loya | Sheeren Katsura | 031897-E. HORIZON X COLL | $2231 | $64 |
| ACB | Jesus Garcia | Gloria Felix | 039846-RIVERSIDE – ARLINGTON | $1962 | $56 |
| SSB | Ali Orduno | Rosa Lopez | 031915-W. FRIAS X DECATUR | $1935 | $55 |
| ACB | Jesus Vargas | Juan Garcia | 039795-PICO CANYON | $1889 | $54 |
| GGB | Alicia Perez | Juana Adame | 030933-FARMERS LN | $1886 | $54 |
| GGB | Diana Flores | Quamrul Mullah | 030750-UNION CITY | $1851 | $53 |
| GGB | Diana Flores | Concepcion Avina Lopez | 030795-HAYWARD | $1844 | $53 |
| RCB | Albert Green | Holly Sartin | 034402-SANTA FE ST | $1819 | $52 |
| SSB | Monica Lopez | 031869-N. HIGHWAY 395 | $1765 | $50 |
As a reminder, our goal is to average $25/day in donations. You can easily reach that by asking every customer to round up at the register and educating customers on how the money is used. The money goes towards youth-serving nonprofit organizations and Live Más Scholarships that help the youth in our communities advance their education.
Why is Round Up Important?
We recently handed out checks to our community partners Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern NV and the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada! In total, DRG donated nearly $2 million in grants this year to organizations that support education and youth development. And it’s all thanks to you — rounding up at the register and fundraising all year long to grow the Arby’s Make a Difference Foundation and the Taco Bell Foundation.
Employee Recognized: Peter Babalola, Food Champion, #036251
Submitter: Wyatt Keener, Assistant General Manager
Peter deserves recognition due to his relentless work ethic and commitment to serving the Kansas City community the best possible food. Peter started with the company on April 5th and has since improved daily, and continues to come to work with a positive energy that improves the work space for all employees and customers. Peter has blossomed in the last few months by graduating high school all while continuing to work and volunteer. He volunteers at a food pantry monthly and says it’s his “favorite space to give back to people who truly deserve help.” Peter continues to choose a better path for himself and his peers around him. By being a leader in his social life as well as at work, he continues to push the envelope on his bright future ahead. These are just a few reasons why Peter deserves to be recognized.
We have an amazing supervisor who always makes sure our people are taken care of. She always makes sure the next shift is set up for success. Sunshine always finds a way to lighten the mood and motivate our crew members on her shift. She always makes sure her cashiers are consistently using the script. Everyone gets excited when Sunshine brings treats to share at lunch. I can’t say enough good things about Sunshine, other than she always goes above and beyond and for that, we thank you!
Employee Recognized: Chester Reyes, Maintenance Technician
Submitter: Mike Smith, DO of Maintenance
Chester has demonstrated exceptional work ethic and technical ability. He has been instrumental in keeping things moving in ACB and is a great asset to the company. Thanks, Chester!
Employees Recognized: Claudio Velazquez, Food Champion, and Angel Torres, Service Champion, #041599
Submitter: Laura Pitiquen, General Manager
These employees always have a great attitude and big smiles on their faces!
Employee Recognized: Jaidyn Blankenship, Team Trainer, #6668
Submitter: Persephone Beamer, General Manager
Jaidyn always strives to lead and push the team to their full potential. She is certified in every position and can tell you how to use every piece of equipment (including the slicer) and how to clean and maintain them, despite not being able to actually use them herself at only 17! She always has a positive attitude and strives to make sure everyone else does as well. She feels that if we all put our best foot forward then we will succeed as a team. She has already taken the initiative to start manager training for when she turns 18 in a few months, and has a goal to become an Assistant Manager in a year or less!
Employee Recognized: Steve VanNatta, SSB Maintenance Reno
Submitter: Eric Curfman, Field Maintenance Coach
Steve saved $15,000 and a 6-week repair delay. A vendor had given us an estimate of over $15,000 to replace refrigeration equipment on a freezer. The only option given was to replace the equipment and the lead time was over six weeks due to supply chain shortages. We were going to be left with a broken freezer while waiting for the new equipment. Steve stepped into action and looked at the equipment to give us a second opinion, and determined he could make the repairs. Steve successfully made the repairs, performed a very detailed leak test, and was able to the get the freezer operating and down to the correct temperature to store food in in just a few hours. That was four months ago, and we haven’t had a single service call on this piece of equipment since his repairs. Great job, Steve!
Employee Recognized: Sam Roberts, Assistant General Manager, #40324
Submitter: Lynn Turner, General Manager
Sam is always there for our employees and our customers. She has been exceptional at helping me run the store, keeping everyone on track for cleaning. She is always working on ways to improve the quality of our service. One day, she will be a successful GM of her own store!
Employee Recognized: Emiliano Fierro, Service Champion, #41601
Submitter: Edgar Jimenez, General Manager
Emiliano is an excellent employee! I want to recognize him for his schedule availability, ability to multitask, how fast and efficient he is on the line and in the drive-thru, and his great attitude. Not to mention, I’m very appreciative that he puts the McLane deliveries away.
Employee Recognized: Kayla Rodriguez, Market Training Manager, #35238
Submitter: Hayley O’Connor, Field Trainer
Kayla has been with us for 12 years and worked in several different locations. She became GM of the 24 highway location two years ago and earned her training certification in December 2022. Kayla has done an amazing job training future GMs, AGMs and ARLs, all while keeping a great attitude and operations tight. In Kayla’s free time, she loves to travel with her two children. We are so lucky to have Kayla — she trains with attention to detail and we appreciate her dedication to excellent training.
Employee Recognized: Jarrod Zapata, Service Champion, #030776
Submitter: Luz Ramirez, General Manager
Jarrod is always willing to come in to work if we ask him or need him. When he does come, he is amazing with the customers. Not only is he nice to the customers, he also still follows the Taco Bell procedures. He always asks them if they want to “round up” their totals. Every time the customers want to compliment someone’s service, it’s always him. They tell us he’s the nicest person they’ve ever met and that he makes their experience at Taco Bell better. On top of that, he never says “no” when we tell him to do something. For these reasons, he is the employee we are recognizing.
Employee Recognized: Pedro Favela, General Manager, San Ramon and Danville Cantinas
Submitter: James Aman, Area Coach
Pedro has successfully managed both the San Ramon and Danville cantinas and has maintained 5-star, VOC, as well as financial goals. Not to mention, he is in charge of setting up all private parties, ensuring they are executed successfully. Pedro has helped out when McLane trucks are delayed, driving product to Pacifica and San Francisco, as well as offered his management and team to support Pacifica on busy summer Saturdays. Pedro makes himself available any day, any time and has been a valuable asset to DRG. In addition to the cantinas he manages, he looks after all of the Bay Area cantinas and always takes on other responsibilities I give him. I truly appreciate his commitment to DRG and to Taco Bell cantinas!
Employee Recognized: Michael Clowers, Food Champion, #35230
Submitter: Reanna Lucas, General Manager
I’d love to recognize one of my team members, Michael Clowers. Michael has stepped up so much in just a short couple of months. He will be turning 18 soon and has been working so hard to get the promotion to Shift Lead. He comes in early and leaves late whenever it’s needed. He is such a strong asset to my team. Michael is Food Champion and soon-to-be Shift Leader.
Employee Recognized: Angelica Chavez, Area Coach, Napa Market
Submitter: Gursimran Ghumman, Director of Operations, No. Cal and Kansas City
She has been leading the team with such a positive attitude and has made a huge impact on her team in such a short time frame. She is a great culture driver. She definitely lives the CORE values of DRG.
Employee Recognized: Holly Sartin, General Manager, #34402
Submitter: Levi Gentry, Shift Leader
I would love to recognize my General Manager Holly Sartin at the store 034402 in Olathe, Kansas. She is [an] amazing person; she goes over and beyond to make sure everyone is trained successfully, and is doing good, and listens to them if they ever have any issues at home or at work. She also helps other stores when needed.
Employee Recognized: Joseph Mercill, Team Member, #6759
Submitter: Nick Mastrokostas, General Manager
The name of this gentleman is Joseph Mercill and yesterday was the last day at work due to him going back to school. This was the first job for Joseph and from the beginning, he showed everyone that he would be a super star. He work[ed] so professionally like he’s been doing the job for months or years. He never comes late, he’s always available to help, and always follows the instructions from the beginning. If DRG Meats had sports drafts, he would be my No. 1 rookie in the draft! Everybody loves him and we will definitely miss him. I can’t wait to see him next year. Thank you for also giving me the opportunity to say that my team is the best team I have ever worked with. They have my total respect for what we they did as a team this year … they are CHAMPIONS in my heart.
Alfredo Lugo Lopez, #30761, AM
Alondra Martinez, #30785, AM
Amaya Hernandez, #37462, AM
Angeles Rodriguez, #30752, AM
Araceli Zurita Melchor, #30794, AM
Arcadia Mariles, #30775, GM
Arlin Najera Ortega, #39786, GM
Ashley Langston, #39839, GM
Aspen Paine, #34397, AM
Aylin Lopez, #30742, GM
Berenice Armenta, #39798, GM
Bradford Worsham, #34403, AM
Brandon Rivera, #39835,GM
Brittany Pixley, 34388, GM
Carmela Mcneal, #39828, GM
Chad Fanning, #37174, GM
Chantal Childress, #35239, GM
Christina Pridemore, #31888, GM
Crystal Guzman, #39821, AM
Daniel House, #31876, AM
Daniel Johns, #31861, GM
Danny Ceballos, #39830, GM
David Cortez, #39857, AM
Dennis Rhodes, #34407, AM
Eddie Baron, #36242, GM
Edwin Lal, #30808, AM
Eli Ramirez, #30765, AM
Elias Roblero Gonzalez, #31918, GM
Elijeo Ojeda, #39804, GM
Erika Osorio, #30771, AM
Fernando Beltran, #39795, AM
Francisca Martinez, #30780, GM
Frankie Hernandez, #39845, AM
Gerardo Morales, #39807, GM
Giovanni Saligan-Munoz , #31531, GM
Guadalupe Serrato, #41607, GM
Guillermina Hernandez, #34019, GM
Hailey Johnny-Callens, #31908, AM
Isela Castro, #39841, GM
Janette Hightower, #36456, AM
Jazmin Vega Arevalo, #39799, AM
Jennifer Alba, #31888, AM
Jesus Blesa, #39846, AM
Jonathon Porter , #37172, AM
Jorge Rangel, #30766, AM
Julie Stepps, #32295, AM
Justin Sykes, #35240, AM
Karla Pitts, #39841, AM
Kayla Holt, #35243, GM
Kristin Harston, #39850, AM
Kristine Gonzales, #41597, GM
Lashantay Roberts, #34417, G
Leona Guerrero, #34380, GM
Levelle Gonzalez, #31868, GM
Linda Oneal, #35241, AM
Luis Diaz, #30786, AM
Marco Ramirez, #30799, GM
Marcos Salazar, #39804, AM
Maria Arteaga, #39849, AM
Maria Del Rosario Ramirez, #39855, AM
Markisha Rimmer, #34379, AM
Mary Joy Barrera, #31685, AM
Matthew Nzueni, #35239, AM
Meghan Parker, #35240, AM
Michael Kallenbach, #35245, GM
Nadia Orozco, #39806, AM
Nereo Alvarez, #39842, GM
Orville Hemady, #31900, GM
Ramon Rivera, #38783, AM
Ricardo Lumbreras, #32295, GM
Robin Mcginnis, #40343, AM
Samantha Gonzales, #38730, AM
Sierra Wyatt, #34388, AM
Tejinder Kaur, #30811, GM
Tiffany Mcbride, #31899, GM
Tiffany Nevels, #34405, GM
Tristan Montiel, #39789, AM
Top 10 Stores YTD:
Top 10 Most Improved Stores P1 to P8:
