Many teenagers have similar reasons for taking on their first job: Their friends begin to work and they want to earn spending money.
Fourteen-year-old Shirlene Lopez was no different. She joined a friend at the Fountain Valley, Calif., Del Taco location, working part time after school and in the summer for a little extra cash. But unlike many teenagers, Lopez never left.
Over the next 28 years, she mastered position after position before nearing the top when she was named president and chief operating officer in October 2006.
But at age 14, Lopez never dreamed of the career that loomed ahead. As a customer attendant, she worked primarily in the dining room, wiping tables, picking up customers' trays and sweeping floors.
"I thought it would be cool to start working and make some of my own spending money," she said. "And really, at 14, I didn't see it going anywhere except for just a part-time job."
For the next three or four years of work, Lopez focused on typical teenage goals such as finishing high school and buying a car. But around age 18, when Lopez was the youngest general manager at the time, she began to see things differently.
"It was really at that point that I decided that this could, in fact, be a long-term career for me," she said, "because it was something that I really loved to do and it was something I felt like I was really good at."
She had no idea, however, how high she would climb at Del Taco, the second-largest Mexican QSR with nearly 500 locations in 14 states.
"I was thinking manager, maybe district manager," she said. "I wasn't really thinking vice president or president."
Between 1978, when she started at Del Taco, and 1989, Lopez held nearly every position possible in a restaurant. She eventually became a training store manager, responsible for getting every new-hire manager in the region up to speed.
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In 1989, Lopez moved into the corporate office as part of the human resources department and, one year later, was promoted to department manager. In the following years, she continued her climb, serving as executive project manager, assistant to the chairman, vice president of development and design and executive vice president of operations, until she reached president and COO in 2006.
Longtime loyalty
Lopez hasn't stayed at Del Taco because of a lack of options. Throughout her career, other companies in the industry have contacted her for positions; however, she never considered making a switch.
An atmosphere that fosters innovation has kept Lopez from taking her creativity elsewhere.
"I was lucky enough to work for a company who made you feel like anything and everything was possible," she said. "And I had a lot of opportunities to try new things and that sort of kept it fresh for me."
Lopez isn't the only long-timer. She works with several long-term employees who have clocked 20 or 25 years at Del Taco.
"We've all been working together for a long time," she said. "One of the greatest things about it is we all have so much pride in the company because we believe so much in the product, which is the great-tasting food."
Arnold Dominguez, Del Taco vice president, said many admire Lopez for her people-oriented style of management, work ethic and commitment to customer satisfaction.
"It has been my pleasure and honor to work with such a dynamic person who really knows her stuff," he said. "I have worked with her for over 23 years and still look forward to working with her every day."
Lopez will celebrate 28 years of employment at Del Taco Nov. 17, 2007, and ultimately plans to retire from the company. When visiting company restaurants, she said workers are encouraged by the fact that she started exactly where they did — as an hourly employee.
"They see what's actually possible," she said. "I just tell them, 'You have to work hard and you have to have fun. You have to find something that you really like to do and that's fun for you. And if you stick to it, work hard, there's endless possibilities.'"
