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Beacon of Speech is a free speech website, but we aren't really experts on many things. One of the few things that we ARE experts on is the infrastructure of Taco Bell, having worked at multiple locations from 1987-2000, from lowly dishwasher up to Store Manager.

I worked at both franchise stores and corporate stores, across multiple states. Somewhere, deep in the Taco Bell archives, my name is etched in with the Mankato Team for Store of the Year honors in Minnesota, I think in 1996 or 1997. Where does that get you in life? Absolutely Nowhere.

I do not speak of my days at Taco Bell fondly. I have many friends from my time working there, but the business structure was a nightmare. Sum up the management philosophy in a nutshell? Pretend like this is your business, but we make all the rigged rules.

So imagine my surprise when I came across this short REEL on Facebook:

Instead of doing a deep dive on the creator of The You Network, I am just going to warn you to run away.

If you are an investor there, pull out your money.

If you work there, get another job.

If you are in business with them, get another partner.

If you follow The You Network on Social Media, unfollow them immediately.

That little blurb is pure science fiction. That might as well be Captain Kirk in the REEL above.

I am not exaggerating, every single person who got ahead at Taco Bell was either a thief or advanced through nefarious means. No one ever got ahead by working hard and/or investing shrewdly.

NO ONE.

Listen, I am not going enumerate every single example I could give you, I am just going to give you one short example, The Story of Dennis:

They either bulldozed or sold Dennis' old store, but it was at the Southland Shopping Center, not far from my Grandfather's House in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. From the time I became a shift manager, all the local Taco Bell minions worshipped at the Dennis Alter. He was an arrogant little asshole with a Napoleon Complex, but his business numbers were perfect. He hit his goals every quarter and managed all aspects of the restaurant to company specifications. Dennis was promoted from Store Manager, to Training Manager, to Store Manager for a complex of stores. He also became the Procurement Manager for the District.

I must have heard, at least a dozen times, Dennis was the Gold Standard of Managers, he may even jump to an investment team looking for a handful of franchise stores. I heard over and over "why can't you be a better manager, like Dennis."

Lo and behold, after YEARS of hearing about the greatness of Dennis, someone tipped off the corporate structure that Dennis was running two sets of books. Before the days of eBay, Dennis was cutting corners everywhere, and was selling equipment and inventory to make his numbers LOOK textbook. He stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Taco Bell.

For 6 months after, I asked every single person who told me I should be more like Dennis, if they still wanted me to be more like Dennis? Instead of admitting that they were wrong, I ended up in another in another district. Every stop in my Taco Bell travels had managers and owners either crashing out, or getting ahead by hook or by crook.

Your argument is that I was stupid to work at Taco Bell for a decade?

Yes. That's the whole point.

Many businesses in America, Taco Bell included, are nothing more than a glorified Pyramid Schemes.

Trick the next sap, then move on to your next scam.

You will never achieve financial freedom at Taco Bell. You will become an expert on bleeding ulcers and insomnia.