To kick off the summer, we were delighted to host Taco Bell’s current Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer, Sean Tresvant, at the Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin, TN, for a roundtable discussion with MRCO owners and several RGMs from the immediate area.
Sean is fairly new to Taco Bell and parent company Yum! Brands, having joined less than a year ago from Nike. Since his visit with us, he has been named the next CEO of Taco Bell effective January 1, 2024!
MRCO Director of Operations Rick Luzader, who has been with our company for 26 years, shares more about the significance of an executive’s visit.
Corporate Visits Make People Feel Valued
Anytime someone from Taco Bell Corporate visits our restaurants and teams, we get to put our best foot forward.
“It gives us an opportunity to be valued,” Rick says. “They get to experience the value of our teams’ contributions and operations.”
According to Rick, Sean was in town to learn more about our business and also spend time with Imaan Ferdowsi, one of MRCO’s owners and a rising leader within the Taco Bell brand. Imaan is not only an owner at MRCO, but also currently serves on the board of directors for the Taco Bell Franchise Management Advisory Council (FRANMAC).
“It just feels good to meet …” Rick says. “And get such a strong perception that we’re in good hands.”
Rick says it was and “excellent, frank discussion” between Sean and our five MRCO RGMs. Sean expressed genuine interest (and gratitude) from the managers’ feedback on product extensions, including the potential to have fries on the menu permanently, and future marketing direction. He bounced other ideas off the team as well.
What did our managers think?
“They were excited about it,” Rick shares. “They were given a chance to literally sit at the table and have influence over Sean’s thoughts and ideas.”
According to Rick, sometimes executives fly in and just spend time with ownership, but this visit was really meaningful because of the respect shown to current store leaders (potential future company leaders) and the immense value that these leaders’ opinions carry.
Sean’s visit was followed by a restaurant operations tour by Taco Bell COO Mike Grams in June.