Let’s be honest, at other companies, changes often come from the top down. But that’s not what we’re about at The Bell. Our people are Cultural Rebels — eager to share their voices and push growth. So, how do we provide the space and opportunity for them to rebel in the best way, break down barriers and make taco magic happen? Let me tell you…
I came to Taco Bell without any food background, but as a sports guy, I knew what it takes to win. It takes collaboration and creativity… from all teammates. That meant innovation couldn’t be limited to the Test Kitchen. I wanted to create a culture of Restless Creativity, where we shift the way we approach creative-thinking and solutions. We love our fan feedback, but we also know that the best ideas come from within; that’s why we created a formal process for vetting and actioning new ideas. It’s called Internal Incubator.
You may have heard about this program in one of my Recipe for Restless Creativity podcast episodes, but if you didn’t, Internal Incubator is our way of empowering employees to tap into their creativity regardless of which department they sit in or what level they are.
It’s an immersive experience for employees from headquarters and company restaurant teams to address real company problems with innovative solutions. We’ve hosted five sessions since the debut in 2021, prompting them to think about everything from driving transaction growth to attracting talent in today’s market. The results are astounding. Over 200 employees have participated, and six employee-generated ideas have come to life already:
We hosted an employee competition to create their favorite menu hacks. We set up a mentor matching program where folks swipe for success. We offered local Taco Bell restaurants in Orange County as working spaces (instead of coffee shops) for headquarters employees looking for a change of scenery.
This July, we hosted our first in-person Internal Incubator, with 60 employees from corporate and restaurant levels to ideate on how to make working at a Taco Bell the best job in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. It was inspiring to see people collaborating who normally don’t work together. The top four teams pitched their case to me and other execs, and let me tell you, I didn’t know we had so many convincing sales people among us!
But we selected an idea that will disrupt our industry. It’s receiving funding and operational support to roll out system-wide next year, and that’s all I can spill for now.
Employers need to play a role in actively empowering employees to bring ideas forward through having a proper process in place. That was especially true at the start of the pandemic, when every working person felt a struggle with engagement. The Internal Incubator isn’t meant to add more work for anyone, but rather to carve out space and time to listen, learn and evolve. To reignite hope and passion. Now, we’re able to hold ourselves more accountable and measure long-term change.
Being Cultural Rebels isn’t just rebelling for the sake of it. We rebel to defy odds. To disrupt conventions. To create opportunity. The power is in its impact, and this is just the beginning.
