Summit Recap, Live Más, WIL & More
In this issue:
2023 DRG Leadership Summit Recap
The 2023 DRG Leadership Summit was inspired by a world-class car race! It was a natural fit since we have the best teams and we win together!
Our above restaurant leaders gathered in Las Vegas for the Summit to connect, share best practices and learn new strategies on how we can be the best and biggest franchise this year. It was a fast, fun, and unforgettable few days. One of the highlights included introducing the company’s new DRG Women in Leadership (WIL) Initiative, formed to expand the connection within the DRG Family and provide more opportunities for women. Click HERE to learn more about DRG WIL.
Also, top performers from 2022 were recognized on stage and inducted into Champions’ Club. View the list of winners on the blog HERE.
Leadership Summit Video Highlights
Introducing DRG’s Women in Leadership
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IN THE
NEWS
Grand Opening of 300th Taco Bell
Store # 40327, 15881 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS
Headlines from Around the Web
- Hear from CEO SG Ellison about DRG’s growth and his new role.
- Our very own GM Darren Espy made it in Nation’s Restaurant News 2023 Power List!
- What makes a great GM?
Upcoming Restaurant Openings
TACO BELL CANTINA
925 Blossom Hill Rd
San Jose, CA
Opening: 7/1/2023
TACO BELL
1305 W Avenue K
Lancaster, CA
Opening: 7/8/2023
TACO BELL
16502 US Highway 40
Independence, MO
Opening: 7/15/2023
Arby’s Grand Opening Store # 9073
690 S Hwy 160, Pahrump, NV
Make a Difference Campaign
The Arby’s Foundation, Spring Make A Difference Campaign, took place March 27-April 23. DRG Meats raised a total of $37,011. We finished in 3rd place in the large franchisee bracket (10+ restaurants) after four rounds of tough competition. This was aided in part by Bryan and team at #7183 in Alaska, the only DRG store in the top 10% of fundraising sales in all of Arby’s stores (franchise and corporate).
Live Más Scholarships
The Taco Bell Foundation awarded $10 million in Live Más Scholarships to nearly 1,000 young people nationwide! Of this, $2.5 million went directly to Taco Bell Team Members. Check out some of our own Live Más celebrations. We surprised recipients at the Devante Adams training camp. The next timeframe to apply for a Live Más Scholarship is in the fall. Stay tuned for application details. This could be you next year!
Round Up!
Shout out to the TOP 5 DRG Restaurants that earned the highest Round Up total donations during the E4 experience!
| Market | Area Coach | General Manager | Restaurant | Round-up $s | Daily Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSB | Monica Lopex | Mark Lower | 031869-N. Highway 395 | $2556.50 | $73 |
| ACB | Jesus Garcia | Gloria Felix | 039846-Riverside – Arlington | $2357.33 | $67 |
| ACB | Martha Medina | Juan Garcia | 039795-Pico Canyon | $2189.33 | $63 |
| GGB | Dolores Gonzeles | Mindy Augustus | 030941-Deer Valley Rd | $2156.81 | $62 |
| SSB | Cesar Loya | Shereen Katsura | 031897-E. Horizon X Coll | $1968.63 | $56 |
| GGB | Alicia Perez | Juana Adame | 030933-Farmers Ln | $1925.05 | $55 |
| SSB | Ali Orduno | Jesus Salazar Morales | 031915-W. Friars X Decatur | $1848.06 | $53 |
| RCB | Brittany Walterman | Sandra Arellano | 034391-State Line Rd | $1817.68 | $52 |
| SSB | Monica Lopez | Ricardo Pacheco | 031866-Highway 50, E. | $1784.08 | $51 |
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.
Congratulations to the 2023 Golden Bell & Signature Restaurants!
Our Golden Bell winners just returned from the exclusive Golden Bell Recognition Trip in Hawaii where they got to celebrate their success in paradise! While there, General Manager Sarita Singh was surprised with the GM of the Year award for being the top performing GM across the entire Taco Bell system! We are so proud of our General Managers who earned the best of the best status and of Sarita for living out the Taco Bell culture while helping her community and employees in impactful ways!
General Manager Sarita Singh
Recognition
AM & GM Promotions
Kansas & Missouri
Destini Blair #34382, AM
Reanna Brown #35243, GM
Tyler Carnell, #36454, GM
Chantal Childress, #36390, AM
Steven Clark, #34406, AM
Logan Cochran, #40118, GM
Trevor Eads, #37174, AM
Misty Fossett, #37673, AM
Dantwone Hanks, #34384, AM
Wyatt Keener, #36251, AM
Gavin Lange, #36456, AM
Willie Matthews, #35245, GM
Stacy Repp, #36390, AM
Samantha Roberts, #40324, AM
Ashley Woods, #34394, AM
Nevada
Olga Arroyo, #31880, GM
Neil Baker, #31867, AM
Ashley Barbee, #37135, AM
Nicole Beever, #31866, AM
Vanessa Cabanillas, DRG Meats #6402, AM
Eddie Castaneda, #31891, AM
Sandra Castro, #31919, GM
Brandie Corona, DRG Meats #6402, AM
Austen Eisel, DRG Meats #6568, AM
Crystal Gordon, #31882, AM
Jennifer Houman, #31878, AM
Guillermina Hernandez, #34019, GM
Logan Huff, DRG Meats #7780, AM
Breshonna Jarrett, #31893, AM
Hailey Johnny-Callens, #31908, AM
Ricardo Lumbreras, #32295, GM
Robyn Marsh, DRG Meats #6668, AM
Susana Martinez, #31886, GM
Juanita Martinez, DRG Meats #9073, AM
Peggy Maynard, #31892, AM
Harley McKinney, #31911, AM
Erika Munoz, DRG Meats #5277, GM
Karen Pizana, #31877, AM
Nicole Propernick, DRG Meats #6568, GM
Michelle Rodriguez, DRG Meats # 6821, GM
Cedar Sarten, DRG Meats #9003, AM
Chris Valdez, DRG Meats # 8862, GM
Daniel Weakley, #31863, GM
Qycian Welch, #31862, AM
No. California
Kelly Campos, #30933, AM
Edith Jimenez, #30786, AM
Ishneet Kaur, #30792, GM
Roberto Leon, #30746, GM
Karla Soriano, #30775, AM
So. California
Deona Bryant, #39813, GM
Isela Castro, #39841, GM
Rose Diaz, #39850, AM
Gelbert Leon, #39831, GM
Jazmine Lucero, #39793, GM
Arnold Mendoza, #39786, AM
Martha Rodriguez, #39835, AM
Alyssa Thuilliez, #39847, AM
Martin Villegas, #39821, GM
Your Leadership Making Moves! Tom Douglas, winner of the Top 100 COO Award
DRG Chief Restaurant Officer and former Chief Operations Officer Tom Douglas placed in the top 100 for the 2023 OnCon COO of the year. OnCon is a community of top executives and at their annual summit they give awards to recognize top executives as voted on by peers. Tom has made strong contributions through thought leadership and has positively impacted our organization. Thank you for your great leadership!
The listing for all award winners can be found on the buttons on this page: 2023 COO Winners
Workday will be live June 14!
Workday will allow our organization to streamline and manage HR operations from a single system. With this integration, comes many benefits:
- It will be more convenient to check your benefits, request time off, and change your personal information.
- You will be able to perform all your workplace tasks in one central location from your mobile device or laptop.
- Workday will allow us to have consistent and standard practices, so you can work more efficiently!
