After 30 years at Taco Bell in Oak Park Heights, Brenda Foley knows most of her customers like family — and their orders by heart.
“She knows everyone, and everyone knows Brenda,” said Brian Ennen, an area coach for Border Foods, the franchisee that owns all 100 Taco Bell restaurants in Minnesota. “She knows them by name. She knows them by voice, actually, through the drive-through on the headset. She knows their orders. If she misses a day, people ask for her. They want to see her smiling face. They’re used to the service, and that’s a lot of the reasons they keep coming back.”
Brenda Foley, gets a hug from Brian Ennen, Taco Bell Area Coach during a celebration of her 30th year working at the Stillwater Taco Bell on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
On Tuesday, Taco Bell officials marked Foley’s 30th work anniversary with a cake, balloons, gifts and cards.
Foley, known affectionately as “Taco Bell Mom,” is the “heart and soul” of the restaurant, said store manager Renu Pandey.
“I mean, food is everywhere,” Pandey said. “People don’t just come in for food. People come in because they feel appreciated. Everybody wants to be heard. Everybody wants to have five seconds of a positive experience in their busy, chaotic day. And Brenda reminds us to make sure we do that.”
‘Be nice’
Brenda Foley, fondly known as the “Taco Bell Mom” of the Oak Park Heights store. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Foley, 60, of Woodbury, has helped train hundreds of new employees through the years. She said kindness and positive reinforcement are more successful in getting employees to perform well than negativity and criticism.
“My philosophy is to be nice. I think that goes way further than being, you know, vigilant,” Foley said. “I teach them the basics: manners and how to talk to people. We teach them how to do the dishes and how to sweep, a little bit of everything. Basically, I try to teach them how to be nice to people. It’s just common-sense things.”
One of Foley’s trainees, Jordan Matlack, has been working at Taco Bell for just over a year. The two now work the early-morning shift, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, together.
“She’s really good at showing people the right ways to do things and getting stuff ready for the whole day,” Matlack said. “It’s great working with her. It’s so nice to be with somebody who’s got a good attitude. It sets the mood for the day.”
Foley was recognized earlier this year with a “Heart of Border Foods Award” for “exemplifying the positive attitude, dedication and family culture at the core of the company’s business.” The company has more than 7,000 employees working in nearly 250 restaurants across the Upper Midwest – and Foley was one of three employees to earn the recognition this year.
The prize was an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, she said.
“Brenda is an individual who truly cares about the team,” Gay Demarree, director of operations for Border Foods, said in a video explaining why Foley was being honored. “She is the first to ask for promotions like ‘Taco Man’ and ‘Sauce-Packet Man.’ She’s the first to ask for us to be involved in any community event.”
Foley also is the store decorator, making sure that the restaurant is decked out for every holiday, she said, pointing to the Thanksgiving decor hanging on the walls. “I go all out for every holiday,” she said. “Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, you name it.”
Grandparents were caterers
Foley was born and raised in Stillwater, but spent part of her high-school years in St. Joseph, Mo. She started working in the food business when she was 12, helping her maternal grandparents, Frank and Opal Porter, at their catering business in Hudson, Wis. “I served plates of food, did the dishes, made the coffee,” she said. “It was really a little bit of everything.”
Staying in food service made sense for the self-proclaimed extrovert, she said.
“I like people, and I like making food,” she said. “When my grandparents retired, a lady I know who worked here at Taco Bell in Stillwater said, “Come on, come on, we need you.’ And I’ve been here ever since.”
Foley said she’s been working at Taco Bell so long that she sometimes sees the children – and even grandchildren – of customers and former co-workers.
After suffering a heart attack in 2019, Foley went part-time and made the switch from store manager to service champion. “I decided to kind of step down and take it easy a little bit,” she said. “I work fewer hours, but I still boss everybody around.”
Brenda Foley, left, gives her manager, Renu Pandey, a kiss as they celebrate Foley’s 30th year. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Foley, who works Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, said she likes the fast pace and variety. “There’s always something to do,” she said.
Not quitting
After 30 years, she still likes the food, especially the tacos, she said.
MnDOT denies permit for Stillwater Lift Bridge tug-of-war before Vikings-Packers rivalry game
Stillwater: Community Thread’s Holiday Hope program again expects high demand
Letters: These are family men, hard-working, stable. Hardly the ‘worst of the worst’
In new Stillwater ‘micro-residency,’ public artists explore community and memory
Tattoo artists trained in Stillwater prison find work, community at White Bear Lake studio
Her favorite is a Soft Taco Supreme with meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes. Coming in second place is the Mexican Pizza, which features “seasoned beef and refried beans layered between two crispy, flour tortilla shells with Mexican Pizza sauce, diced tomatoes, and a blend of mozzarella, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses,” according to the company’s website.
Foley, who has two children and four grandchildren, plans to work at Taco Bell until her “body says ‘nope,’” she said. “’Till I can’t no more.”
A tree planted behind the restaurant is a living testament to Foley’s longevity. It was planted the summer after she started, she said.
“It’s been here for as long as I’ve been here,” she said. “We have a little joke about it – that they’re going to sprinkle my ashes around the tree.”
