Workers Reveal What It's Really Like To Work At Taco John's

Taco John's has been serving Tex-Mex food to hungry customers for decades, and though some have it ranked below Taco Bell in overall performance as a taco chain, plenty of patrons still find themselves at Taco John's. Whether it be for a Six-Pack and a Pound or just a serving of Potato Oles, there are dozens of reasons to love this fast food eatery. There might just be a few reasons to work at one, too.

As of 2022, there are over 370 Taco John's locations, per ScrapeHero, most of which are in the Midwest. And as of this writing, several locations are hiring, according to Indeed. If you're in need of employment and have a hankering for tacos and churros, Taco John's could be your ideal place of employment.

Before you sign that application form, though, take into account some of the employee anecdotes and reviews of the establishment. We've rounded up what current and former employees think about working there — and some of the insights are, let's just say, interesting. Keep reading to find out what it's really like to work at Taco John's.

We all start somewhere. Statista projects that there will be nearly 160 million people employed in the United States in 2023, and also reports  that in 2020, almost 18% of the workforce was made up of teenagers aged 16 to 19. Some of those teenagers just might find themselves employed at Taco John's. 

The Tex-Mex fast food chain employs people starting at age 15, and some of its former employees who worked at Taco John's as a first job were pleased. As one former employee noted, "It was a good work place," adding, "good people to work with," and "a good first job for anyone." Another employee shared, "it's a great first job for teens 14 and older."

Others might find the same things those employees shared to ring true, especially those who are still in high school or are looking to further their education. Per its website, Taco John's offers a variety of benefits to its employees, including up to $3,200 for college tuition. You'll also get free food during your shift, which is perfect if you love Tex-Mex. If you can manage to work while you're going to school, Taco John's could be a good option.

Just because we start somewhere doesn't mean we necessarily want to stay there. Many potential employees see employment advancement as a green flag in a company, and per some employees, Taco John's isn't the best place to work if you're hoping to climb the ladder. As one employee shared, "No career growth opportunities. Leadership gate keeps and will take ownership of your work." Another employee echoed those thoughts by commenting, "No opportunities for growth."

But don't let that shape your perception of Taco John's as a whole. Employee advancement isn't quite as common as it might seem. Per ADP, just under 9% of employees are promoted each year. But it's also important to look at what that phrase actually means. Per LiveCareer, we might be misinterpreting it. Many of us might understand the coinage, sometimes said as "room for advancement," to mean room for promotions or advancement within the company. But employers often define that term as room to develop your skills and become better professionals and people.

Not everyone wants a promotion, though. As Inc. noted, the COVID-19 pandemic shaped our overall perspective on work, and some employees would rather have other perks over a promotion, like better benefits or the option to work remotely.

There are lots of things employees want in a job. Per a Gallup poll conducted in 2022, job stability and diversity were among the top items on the list of what employees were looking for in their next job, but number one was higher pay or better benefits. According to multiple employees, Taco John's should not be your next place of employment if the results of that poll reflect your own desires. "I was also being paid a dollar less than those younger than me with less experience than me," one employee shared. "Hard dangerous work for low pay and few to no benefits," another said.

The exact amount you make will depend on where you live, your job experience, and which position you're hired for. But according to Zippia, the average pay for a Taco John's employee is $16.16 per hour. And although that only amounts to nearly $34,000 per year if you're working full time, it is higher than the federal minimum wage, as well as the minimum wage in many states across America. Taco John's does note that it offers other benefits to employees, such as paid vacation and flexible scheduling.

Every company comes with its weaknesses, especially fast food chains, but employees seem to be happy with Taco John's overall, with many calling it a good company. As one employee reviewed, it's a "Positive environment," "Team oriented," and a "Great company." The employee rated both Taco John's culture and management four out of five stars, and a separate employee held the same beliefs about it being a "Great company." Although not everything about Taco John's is rated well by employees, most do cite that they feel happy while at work, and nearly half would recommend the chain to a friend as a place of employment, as told by Indeed.

According to national lists, though, Taco John's isn't the best or the worst place to work. Other fast food chains you may want to avoid working for include Wendy's, KFC, and McDonald's, but some rated better are Five Guys, Chipotle, and Starbucks. Like all jobs, however, several factors will contribute to your overall job satisfaction, such as where you live and your coworkers. But if you are looking to work at Taco John's, you can take solace in the fact that many employees find it to be a good company. At the very least, it's probably not the worst place to work.

It's no secret that fast food restaurants often use pre-made food instead of fresh fare. According to the American Frozen Food Institute, over 90% of food establishments use frozen food, which can include frozen ingredients or pre-assembled frozen meals. Although the Institute's CEO Alison Bodor says the use is for good reason (due to everything "from ease of preparation to year-round availability to reduced food waste" providing a "performance advantage"), customers seem to inquire whether restaurants serve guests frozen or premade foods, with over half of consumers preferring fresh food to frozen, per Deloitte.

If you're one of those consumers in the fresh-food camp, you'll be happy to know that, per one employee, Taco John's serves lots of food it assembles from scratch. Though it might still be frozen to start, it's assembled on-site. As an employee shared on a Reddit thread, "We still make a lot of are [sic] stuff from scratch, but the mexi rolls were pre-made." If avoiding pre-made food is important to you, perhaps you should avoid the Mexi Rolls.

Having pre-made food isn't all bad, though. There is one important service factor that greatly improves when food comes pre-made: drive-thru time. Per an InTouch InSight and QSR study, Taco John's is not one of the fastest drive-thrus in the United States. Food assembled on-site might taste better, but it'll take longer to serve.

We seem to only hear about corporate greed, but there are entrepreneurs in the United States with giving hearts, like the owner of a Taco John's franchise in Omaha, Nebraska. After being hit by an uninsured driver, a Taco John's employee, April Mungia, needed a new vehicle to get to and from work and to pick up her children. On her way to work the next morning, Mungia learned her boss had purchased her a new vehicle. "I never thought somebody would do that for me," Mungia said of her boss's generosity. "God sent me an angel, and that was Jeff," she added. The owner has also given money to other employees in need, as well as to local organizations.

Taco John's also gives back as a corporation. Per International Franchise Association, the chain has donated to multiple organizations in the Cheyenne, Wyoming area, where its corporate headquarters are located, as well as other organizations across the United States. It was particularly generous amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to combat food insecurity. Taco John's also holds an annual fundraising event at the end of the year to raise money for charities such as Toys for Tots and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, per its website.

The pace of a job makes a huge difference in job satisfaction. While some like a slower pace, others prefer something a little more lively. Those who prefer the latter might want to consider working at Taco John's, as some employees cite it as a fast-paced place of employment. One employee simply called the restaurant a "Fast pace environment," while another echoed the sentiment nearly verbatim. The second employee, however, noted a downside to a fast-paced environment: stress. "The environment was stressful," the employee listed as a con of the job.

It's no surprise Taco John's is considered a fast-paced place to work. The food industry is notoriously fast-paced, with two out of the 11 jobs for people who enjoy a fast environment listed on Monster in the food and service industry. But the employee who identified stress in tandem with the fast pace isn't wrong. Per De Gruyter, a fast-paced environment can lead to burnout, and per Statista, the hotel, food services, and hospitality industries had the highest rates of burnout in 2019. Working at a fast food restaurant is not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, it certainly attracts members of the workforce, with over 5 million Americans working in fast food.

We've all had a coworker we loved, and we've all had a coworker we didn't love. The people we work with can make or break our work experience, to which many Taco John's employees can attest. "Taco johns [sic] as a brand is fine, just depends on your store's crew and management," one employee said.

Some employees have had completely different experiences with their coworkers while working at Taco John's. One experience was positive, with the employee sharing that their coworkers "are amazing." Another, however, said, "Co workers [sic] were very rude and made rude jokes. Made terrible jokes about my deceased mother." Despite the varying experiences with staff, both had an unfavorable time with management. "You have managers that don't care what's going on in the stores," the former lamented. "Management was okay, there was a sense of favoritism," the latter shared.

Though it's nice to have great coworkers, statistically speaking, employees are more concerned with having good management. According to Cision, 57% of employees quit their jobs because of management. It also noted that 32% of workers have contemplated quitting, citing management as the reason for a potential exit. If places of employment want to retain good staff, it seems they need good management.

It's not uncommon for employees to have to perform a function outside of what's listed in their job description. In fact, it's a hotly debated topic whether it's something employees should be compensated for, or if it's a sign of dedication to the employer. No matter where you stand on that debate, it's happening — but rarely does it entail saving someone's life.

For a Taco John's employee in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it was just another day at the restaurant. As reported by Keloland News, Taco John's employee Justin Hagerman was called into action after a customer alerted him that her friend needed immediate help. The friend was choking in their car, and Hagerman left his post inside to perform the Heimlich maneuver, which ultimately saved the customer's life. The news outlet also noted that Hagerman was honored with a Life Saver Award from Taco John's for his valiant efforts.

Not every act outside of your job function will be rewarded, though. Some might even get you arrested. In 2017, a Taco John's assistant manager was arrested in Luverne, Minnesota for purportedly stealing over $30,000 in cash from his place of employment, per The Globe. The outlet reported that the assistant manager and his wife reportedly used the stolen money to gamble at an Iowa casino in hopes of earning enough money to pay their creditors. Saving someone's life is probably encouraged by Taco John's. Engaging in criminal activity? Not so much.

There are many schools of thought on what constitutes a productive work environment. Per Entrepreneur, among the best are the open skeptic and the individual-focused environments, while some of the worst are the 9-to-5 and compartment environments. We can't speak to which environment Taco John's might be categorized under, but per multiple employees, it's a productive place to work. One employee review of the company labeled Taco John's "Productive," while a separate one added that it's both "Productive and fun."

We don't doubt that Taco John's is busy, but we also assume it has to be to keep up with demand. While it's not one of the top fast food chains in the United States by both revenue and number of locations (per The Ascent), Taco John's does operate akin to the restaurants on the list, making it important for the restaurant chain to have certain qualities to ensure it stays in business. According to Chron, some of the top indicators of success in the fast food industry are speed of service and efficiency. If employees aren't productive, customers aren't being served. If customers aren't being served, they aren't returning. Hopefully, Taco John's employees are just as productive when customers aren't around as when they are.

Adults in the workforce are torn on whether they want to be the boss. Per the Pew Research Center, a marginally lower amount of people claim they'd like to be the boss at their place of work someday than those who claim they would not. There are certainly good and bad places to be in charge, and from what assistant managers have said, Taco John's might not be the best place. As one employee shared, "This started out as a job I thought I would enjoy and for the first month or so I did, but then the job itself became stressful and uncomfortable. There was [sic] many issues of racism and sexism In the store that made not only myself but other employees extremely uncomfortable."

Of course, experiences vary from location to location, but another assistant manager cited a negative time while in that position. "They'll promote you & never give you your raise. Not only that, they'll let you go just as quick [sic] as they promote. Nobody is actually trained & it's the sorriest excuse of a company I've ever seen," the former employee noted. Another former assistant manager warned, "Don't work here if you love yourself."

But as Business reminds us, being in charge isn't easy. Among their responsibilities are hiring and firing employees, taking your work home, and having to stay on top of your game to keep your job. Managing is stressful, whether at Taco John's or elsewhere.