QSR June 2023

YOUNG LEADERS

Katelyn ZBOROWSKI DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MARKETING AND MENU INNOVATION TACO BELL AGE: 32

“It is difficult and challenging at times because it’s easier to have a rock star team mem ber than to give that individual the gift of a better career and then train them for that role, while we now have the need of training the replacement as well,” Kalia explains. “So more times than not, it does feel like we struggle all the time, but in hindsight we have made people bet ter than before and developed leaders.”

where she showed off her flair for orga nizational and operational skills. She also helped modernize Velvet Taco’s training platforms by implementing a new LMS. Walker consistently seeks feedback on how she can be better and serves as a role model for others, nurturing an environment of continuous improve ment, her nomination said. “What’s kept me at Velvet Taco for so long is the empowerment and the support that I get from our leadership team,” Walker says. “It always feels good when you come into work, and people appreciate who you are.” According to her nomination, Walker is open-minded and has her finger on the pulse of the brand, remaining flexible to change her pro cesses as the company grows. She is careful to think creatively yet remains courteous to the brand’s integrity. During the pandemic, Walker stepped out of her managerial posi tion at the restaurant support office to work as a manager at one of Velvet Taco’s restaurants for five months. She worked on the front lines to support the brand in its time of need, even while she was six months pregnant. She never complained and uplifted every team member she came across. Operationally, she implemented new systems and protocols during the pandemic to ensure the safety and health of her team. She proved she could impact both the training of Vel vet Taco’s people and its operations by working on pivoting the Weekly Taco Feature program. This pivot was crucial to provid ing relief to the teams working on the Weekly Taco Feature concept; she implemented a process to cross-utilize existing ingredients to ease the opera tions for the management teams. Walker is a talented young leader with a steadfast loyalty to Velvet Taco’s operations and people, according to her nomination. She has helped move the brand’s training platforms into the 21st century and continues to improve daily. “I think the thing that’s gotten me so far is always being willing to lend a helping hand, staying positive and being willing to fail, even if it’s just working through it together as a team,” Walker says. “If you don’t fail, you’re not trying.”

Samantha HEBEL MANAGER OF ADVERTISING HUNGRY HOWIE’S AGE: 31

Samantha Hebel’s history with Hungry How ie’s began over 20 years ago. The daughter of seasoned Hungry Howie’s franchisee own ers, Hebel’s first experiences with the brand included running the register, making pizzas, and delivering orders in her teenage years. Currently, she is manager of advertising. Hebel works closely with operations to sup port franchisees and talk them through current and forthcom

ing promotional materials. She is also responsible for all budgets and strategies for the brand’s advertising and media agencies. Hebel’s long standing with Hungry How ie’s helps her

TACO BELL

If there are two pillars Taco Bell leads out front on, it’s marketing and menu innovation. Few, if any, restaurant brands do it better. And Kate lyn Zborowski is fully aware of that reality. “For a marketing leader, there is no greater responsibility than to fuel and nurture a growth mindset culture,” she says. “Creating a culture of courage, creativity, and respect will unleash repeatable success that others can only dream of.” Zborowski grew up watching her fam ily operate Tim Hortons locations in Canada, getting an insider’s look into what it takes to run a franchise. She began her career with Taco Bell Canada and helped the business stack consecutive years of double-digit same store sales growth. In 2018, she relocated to Irvine, California, to support Taco Bell’s U.S. fleet with a “contagious energy that contin ues to burn as bright as it did on day one.” Under Zborowski’s purview, Taco Bell has launched record-breaking products spanning traditional LTOs to digital innovations to permanent platforms, including the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa, $2 Grilled Chicken Burri tos, $5 National Taco Day Gift Set, $5 Build Your Own Cravings Box, At Home Taco Bar, and Taco Bell’s Grilled Cheese Burrito.

HUNGRY HOWIE’S

resonate with franchisees who she now assists in her everyday job. Hebel has felt the most accomplished by helping operators. “My dedication to the Hungry How ie’s brand and its franchisees comes from the opportunities and success it has carved for myself and my family over the years. Growing up with the brand and being fully submerged in the business, I was able to witness the hard work and passion it takes to be successful in a highly retail and competitive industry,” says Hebel. In the past eight years, Hebel has played a pivotal role in developing Hungry Howie’s marketing strategies, producing sequential same-store sales growth. She has also been responsible for executing plans to improve the profitability of underperforming locations.

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