4 min readFrom Line Worker to Corporate Intern: My Unbelievable 5-Year Journey with Taco Bell
By Lukas Colf
I was nearing the end of my 10th-grade year in high school, looking for a job to help pay for my very first vehicle. I figured, “Why not work where I love to eat?” I saw a “Now Hiring” sign at the Canandaigua Taco Bell, decided to put in an application, and by June of 2021, I was clocking in for my very first shift. It was the start of an incredible era with Taco Bell and Hospitality Restaurant Group (HRG) that is still growing today.
Starting at just 16 years old, the kitchen felt fast and intense. I still remember the rush of busy Friday nights with the drive-thru headset ringing and orders piling up on the screens. But after mastering the perfect crunchwrap folds, tight burrito wraps, and other veteran line secrets, I became a total pro on the line, eventually bringing that same speed and expertise over to the drive-thru window.
Taking the First Leap
Fast forward to the summer before my first year of college at SUNY Oswego: I applied for the HRG $1,000 internal scholarship and won! Realizing how much this company truly invests in its employees, I knew this was only the beginning.
At the end of that same summer, an opportunity came up for the Team Member Menu Blast: Battle of the Franchisees, where we had to submit a 30-second video describing our ultimate favorite menu hack. I thought to myself, “There are thousands of employees across the franchise, there’s no way I’ll win.” But with a little motivation to at least say “I tried,” I submitted my video anyway.
Next thing I knew, I was picked as a finalist for our company and selected to represent HRG at Taco Bell Headquarters in Irvine, California!
From Irvine to Maui
Hopping on a plane in September of 2023 with my two biggest supporters, my mom and stepdad, we were on our way to 1 Glen Bell Way for me to compete in the competition of a lifetime. And let me tell you, I was nervous! After an intense head-to-head battle against two other franchise team members, they announced: “The winner is… LUKAS!” Did I seriously just win an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii? Yes, yes I did.
The months couldn’t move fast enough, and by April of 2024, my parents and I were back on a plane, this time bound for Maui to attend Golden Bell, Taco Bell’s premier annual celebration reserved for the top Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) in the nation. Given our store’s incredible performance over the past year, my own RGM got to join us too! The food, the events, the shows — it was all astonishing. I remember thinking, “It can’t possibly get any better than this, right?”
Wrong! The very week after returning from Maui, I was awarded my first $10,000 Live Más Scholarship! Combined with my HRG scholarship, the financial stress of paying for college completely dissolved.
In June of 2024, I was invited onto Taco Bell’s official Recipe for Restless Creativity Podcast. I got to share my story nationally, speaking about what “Living Más” means to me, how I found my footing in restaurant culture, and how a first job at 16 can turn into a life-changing career path.
Shortly after, in July 2024, I was selected to attend the Live Más Summer of Connection in San Diego, California. There, I collaborated with fellow scholarship winners from across the country, building invaluable professional networking connections, attending leadership workshops, and learning how to turn our personal passions into long-term careers.
Coming Full Circle
Today, I am proud to say I have won the Live Más Scholarship three separate times, totaling over $30,000 in college funding!
And the journey still isn’t over. Recognizing my five years of hands-on experience on the line, HRG crafted a Marketing and Operations Internship for me at our corporate office in Syracuse, NY.
Looking back, Taco Bell has had a massive impact on my life over the last five years. It’s hard to imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t put in that application back when I was 16 years old. But who says this journey is coming to an end? We’re just getting started, and I can’t wait to see what’s left to come!
