I worked for Taco Bell for Aprox 5 years off and on. I started when I was 17 years old and started out as a cashier.By the time I left the Company owned store I was an Asst. Gen Mngr. My time working with this company was the most stressfull, underpaid, under appreciated time of my entire life.
On the list of things that happened to me, Im not even sure where to start. So I'll do it by making a list.
1) I had my car shot at while I was driving our bank deposit out of the drive through, where we picked up our money. DAILY
The only reason the bullet missed me was because of the thin frame around my window. My window was shattered. Taco Bell did pay for the repairs. Of course though they were very picky on the price they would pay and where I would have to go. They then let me have the rest of the day off. They did not offer me any other paid time off. I, to this day get freaked out if somone aproaches my car too fast. They also started Brinks Security to come and pick up the deposits. The day after I quit, the stopped it and went back to the same routine for deposits. Just another way for them to show it isn't caring about the employee that mattered it was just they didn't want me to sue them. Fortunatly for them sueing them never even occured to me. I also came to find out the attempted robbery was an inside job, that was easy to carry out because our routine was always the same. I by the way had just come back from maternity leave after having my first son.
2) About a month after the shooting, I lost my father. I had called the manager to inform her that I needed to take some time off to handle funeral arrangements and to grieve. The manager informed me that I was the only manager she had to work that night and she needed me. I of course got into an argument with her and did not show for my shift. They didnt fire me apparently she must of been aware that she was breaking a law, or someone informed her of that. It is a shame that she put me through the extra stress at such a hard time. She of course never did apologise to me.
3) As a manager you find your self working lots of over time and not being paid. I couldn't even tell you how much time in me and my exhusband worked and didnt get paid for. My husband worked for them too.
Needless to say we are both working else where now, the amount of time that we stayed with the company was rediculous. When you start out with a company as a teenager and just stay with them. You unfortunatly don't always know what your rights are and then you don't believe you can do better. I am older and wiser now and I must say If my kids ever ask me to work at Taco Bell the answer will be NO.
With Taco Bell it is with out a doubt money that comes first, they believe in using things until they are gone. Expiration means nothing. You might wonder how they get away with this if it is true. The answer is they know right from wrong, but they also know when to really follow the rules (like during a corp inspection etc) and when to fudge the rules. The corporation is very tight on all the numbers leaving little room to throw things out that are bad or unsafe to eat. They also leave little room for labor dollars, causing employees to work extra hard for little pay or managers to scrape a little off everyones time cards so that they meet the labor. Another question you might ask is why would a manager be willing to serve food that is bad or to break the law and cheat employees on the hours they have worked. It has to do with BONUSES.
Now for anyone reading this and thinking "she just wants free money by law suits" let me just say this. With all that has happened to me with this company. I have never sued I have simply quit and moved on to better things. But the truth should be known. And maybe you work at one that is GREAT, will then I'm happy for you. But that wasn't the case for me. Being shot at, has scared me. At the least I'm just glad that I can finally say my piece on this. God willing maybe someday some actual changes can be made.
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