Irvine, Calif. (May 8, 2017) –Taco Bell’s recent announcement to grow as a system to 8,000 U.S. locations by the end of 2022 means more than just bringing delicious tacos and burritos to new communities; this also will create about 100,000 new U.S. jobs over the next five years. That commitment kicks into full swing this month, with the company and its franchisees expecting to fill 3,500 newly created jobs this summer alone. In addition, as the company heads into its busiest season of the year, it will seek to fill 50,000 additional positions across the system by the end of the summer.

Connecting the right job with the right candidate is not always easy. Taco Bell is looking to make this process even better for current and potential employees through its newly launched partnership with Roadtrip Nation. Today also marks the debut of Taco Bell’s first ever 30 under 30 list. Together, this industry-first partnership and round-up of top talent highlights the career paths within Taco Bell, making it easier for current and future employees to match their job needs and goals with Taco Bell’s varied career opportunities.

“Last year we announced our commitment to hire 100,000 new team members in our system by 2022,” said Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer at Taco Bell. “We are now taking that commitment to the next level with recruiting and employment programs to help us and our franchisees invest in our employees, and their experience, in significant ways.”

Whether people are looking for their first job, a summer stint or one that can provide education and leadership development opportunities, Taco Bell is helping to remove obstacles to finding and landing the right job.

“Our system’s employees are central to creating exceptional experiences for the 46 million customers we serve each week,” said Frank Tucker, Chief People Officer at Taco Bell. “Taco Bell and our franchisees are committed to building workplaces where team members want to work and grow. That starts by showcasing the diverse pathways in the Taco Bell system and celebrating employees’ achievements, which we’re doing by shining a spotlight on some of Taco Bell’s most impressive young talent.”

The Taco Bell 30 under 30

Young people have always been the heart and soul of the Taco Bell brand. The inaugural Taco Bell 30 under 30 list highlights some of the brand’s incredible young talent, and aims to inspire and educate current and potential team members about the opportunities available to them at Taco Bell.

“Taco Bell team members are our biggest and most important brand ambassadors, and we are proud of and committed to maintaining the fact that 80 percent of our restaurant leadership roles are promoted from within.” said Tucker. “Each of our 30 under 30 list honorees is living más every day, truly embodying the brand’s culture and values, and deserves to be recognized.”

The individuals – who were nominated by Taco Bell leadership and franchisees – were chosen because they embrace the Taco Bell spirit, are passionate, innovative, creative and respected among peers. The honorees are leaders on their teams and within their restaurants and constantly look for opportunities to uplift and mentor other team members.

Check out all of Taco Bell’ 30 under 30 here

Roadtrip Nation Partnership

Beginning in late 2016, Taco Bell partnered with Roadtrip Nation to capture the stories and career paths of current employees and alumni of Taco Bell. Since then, Roadtrip Nation has been traveling the country capturing video of these incredible personal stories. One alumni interviewed was Fred Mossler, former Senior Vice President of Merchandising at Zappos and entrepreneur. Mossler’s first job was cleaning dishes at Taco Bell, where he worked his way up to supervisor.

“The skills-based compensation model utilized at Taco Bell is important to me to this day in terms of how I think about business and help build companies,” said Mossler. “Taco Bell was like the launching pad for the rest of my life.”

In the second phase of this partnership, these videos are being featured on Roadtrip Nation’s online platform, Share Your Road. Here, employees, current and prospective, can see real steps for getting to their goal position, whether that’s managing an entire Taco Bell restaurant, working in the award-winning marketing department at headquarters, or taking skills to another industry all together.

Current Taco Bell employees and alumni are invited to develop profiles and connect with others to share the story of how they got to where they are today. The platform aims to foster networks and communities and empower team members by hearing about the lessons learned and career paths of others. Participants will inspire fellow and future team members to follow their interests, skills and ambitions in their work at Taco Bell to help them reach their potential.

“We’re proud to partner with Taco Bell on this innovative approach to help current and prospective employees visualize paths to progression either within or beyond such a forward-thinking company,” said Mike Marriner, Cofounder of Roadtrip Nation.

Roadtrip Nation is one of the many programs the Taco Bell system offers as part of its Start with Us, Stay with Us platform that helps create opportunities for employees no matter how long they’ve been with, or plan to stay with, the company or our franchisees. Taco Bell provides leadership development programs such as theMARK, theSPARK and theQUEST as well as education support through its GED certification, Live Más Scholarship and college programs. Learn more here and here.