Upen’s Point of Pride: Edgewood, MD Taco Bell is Certified!
Congratulations to our newest certified training location, Summerwood’s Edgewood, MD Taco Bell at 2155 Pulaski Highway. This is no small potatoes, there’s much to celebrate with this news!
When Restaurant General Manager (RGM) Upendra “Upen” P. took over Edgewood two and a half years ago, it was in rough shape. Poor service and food quality, trespassing – these are just a few of its former unsavory features. But Upen has really turned things around and today, this Taco Bell is SO good, our Edgewood team is ready to train others!
“I set up a culture over there in a beautiful way,” Upen explains. “Communication is strong … everyone’s doing an amazing job. My building is so clean, [we] don’t compromise on food safety.”
Training the Trainers
For Upen, now a Top 25 RGM at our company, it started with training his own team to the highest of standards and building a strong culture in the restaurant.
“For me, my people are more important than anything else,” he says. “I train them every single day, even now.”
He speaks of correcting mistakes “in a good way” and seizing opportunities to educate the whole team at once on an issue. Peer recognition, according to Upen, is a huge motivating factor.
“It always feel[s] amazing to share your knowledge with the people who want to grow.” -Upen P., Taco Bell RGM
Once Upen’s own restaurant team was trained, he says he focused on making sure everyone knew his expectations for welcoming new people or trainees to Edgewood.
“If I welcome someone into the store, [it will be a] pleasure to train them,” he says. Upen firmly believes that the culture of the Edgewood Taco Bell will lead others to success in their home locations. And he’s determined that everyone learn something from his team!
That’s the power of becoming a training location – you get to directly impact the next generation of restaurant leaders and as Upen says matter-of-factly, “produce more good people.”
Upen consistently demonstrates people-focused leadership and is known for building future leaders. He’s played a key role in developing Assistant Restaurant Managers (ARMs) and RGMs – in fact, he developed two RGMs in the last year, even before Edgewood became certified.
Upen has exceptional support staff: ARMs Maira Q-O and Nabin K.; and Shift Leaders Khadiga M., Wendy F-I. and Yeison H. Thank you to Area 23 Coach Sunil K. for your ongoing support, and Regional Coach Kofi O-O for leadership and guidance. We also recognize Summerwood’s Training Department for preparing this team for success!