Kansas City-based Royal City Bell (RCB) is driving a powerful transformation across its Taco Bell restaurants. With a renewed commitment to operational excellence and guest experience, the franchise group is on a mission to give customers a compelling reason to choose them over and over again.
For a brand that prides itself on speed, accuracy, and hospitality, closing 2023 with a performance rating of 3.64 out of 5 served as a wake-up call. The message was clear: improvement was necessary, and the time to act was now.
In 2024, RCB (part of Diversified Restaurant Group) knew they needed to make strategic changes in order to enhance customer satisfaction and drive profitability through improved operational execution.
At Crunchtime’s Ops Summit 2024, Kara Ramirez, VP of Ops at Royal City Bell, detailed how RCB used Crunchtime to improve operational execution and efficiency.
A Focused Strategy
With a clear vision in place, Royal City Bell launched into the new year with laser-like focus on three core priorities:
- Hiring and Retaining the Industry’s Best: RCB concentrated on properly staffing every location with strong leadership and high-potential talent. Alongside this, the team strengthened its 90-day retention strategy and reduced overall turnover, ensuring team stability and smoother operations.
- Flawless Drive-Thru Execution: The drive-thru experience is critical to success, so RCB doubled down on ensuring every team, at every location, followed the Taco Bell drive-thru script. By focusing on script compliance, RCB could ensure that each drive-thru interaction lived up to RCB’s standards, every guest, every time.
- Smarter Scheduling: Schedules were written on time with accuracy, fairness, and balance in mind. The results were clear: labor spending decreased significantly, especially in overtime and training costs, allowing resources to be reallocated to further support the team and the guest experience.
“We focused on the people and the process and not the results.” -Albert Green, Area Coach, Diversified Restaurant Group
TRED Fridays: Turning Up the Momentum
One of the most impactful programs in this turnaround has been the implementation of “TRED Fridays”. Designed to lift up RCB’s bottom-performing restaurants during peak hours, the initiative centers around four key pillars:
- Target Setting
- Rush Readiness
- Equipment Maintenance
- Deployment Excellence
Every Friday, leaders work with their teams to set targets, prepare for the rush, maintain equipment, and learn to deploy teams adequately. It’s not just about surviving a Friday; it’s about learning how to lead one.
And the impact has been immediate. RCB’s team-first approach and disciplined focus on execution have led to impressive improvements in just a short amount of time. As of Period 7 in 2024:
- 5-Star Performance Rating: Up from 3.64 in 2023 to 3.99 YTD in 2024
- Average Speed: Improved from 4:12 to 3:34, reflecting a stronger focus on time and accuracy
- Labor Spend: Reduced overtime and training costs thanks to better scheduling and staffing strategies
- Operational Excellence: Consistent, brand-aligned service that guests can count on
These aren’t just metrics; they represent a culture shift. One where accountability is shared, wins are celebrated, and the team is united around a single goal: earning the trust and loyalty of every guest who chooses Taco Bell.
“Guests come to us for many reasons, and we work each day to uphold their trust in this iconic brand. While we still have much work to do, the progress of the RCB team has been nothing short of remarkable.” - Kara Ramirez, VP of Ops, Royal City Bell
Looking Ahead
While the team recognizes there’s still more work to be done, the progress made so far is a clear sign that Royal City Bell is on the right track. The franchise group continues to refine its strategies, empower its people, and improve experiences for every guest, every time.
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