Podcast Summary: Second in Command with Cameron Herold

Episode 539: Taco John’s COO Jackie Secor – Why Emotional Strength Now Outperforms Expertise
Date: December 26, 2025
Guest: Jackie Secor, Chief Operating Officer, Taco John’s
Host: Cameron Herold

Main Theme

This episode explores the evolving nature of operational leadership with Jackie Secor, COO of Taco John’s. The focus is on how emotional intelligence, adaptability, and human connection now outperform pure technical expertise in executive roles—especially in today’s rapidly changing business environment. Jackie shares her unique experience transitioning into Taco John’s after 25 successful years at Auntie Anne’s, discusses her approach to building teams, promoting from within, managing a family-owned franchise business, and embracing technology while staying grounded in operational basics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Transitioning into a New COO Role

• Relationship-based Recruitment: Jackie was recruited by CEO Heather Neary, who she previously worked with, highlighting the value of relationships and reputation over active job seeking.
  • “Great people are never looking for a job… Good people have to be poached, right?” – [10:42, Cameron]
• First 90 Days:
  • Focused on listening, learning history and culture, and asking questions at all levels—not just relying on hierarchical reporting.
  • Needed to address standardization issues due to varied operational practices across locations.
    • “We got away from operational standardization… We needed to make some changes pretty quickly to get that, you know, kind of claw back some of that standardization.” – [07:42, Jackie]
• Balancing Immediate Action with Deliberation:
  • Tackled urgent process needs quickly (like standardizing taco assembly), but delayed or tested changes when appropriate.

2. Identifying and Developing Leadership Talent

• Promoting from Within: Looks for potential leaders internally through stretch assignments and challenging employees to bring solutions, not just problems.
  • “You never walk into my office and drop a problem on my desk… You tell me what the problem is and then you have your list of solutions.” – [13:30, Jackie]
• Valuing Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence:
  • Soft skills and the ability to handle ambiguity and stress in operations are prioritized over technical expertise alone.
  • “It’s more of the soft skills and the emotional intelligence… The skills I can teach you, but you have to have the ability…” – [13:30, Jackie]
• Managing Generational Differences:
  • Recognizes younger generations have different expectations—often seeking rapid advancement and not planning for long tenures.
  • Advocates for transparency about career paths, even if it means supporting employees moving elsewhere.
    • “It's being totally transparent... I'm not afraid to have conversations with the people who work for me to say what's next? And it might not be [here]. And that's okay.” – [16:42, Jackie]

3. Learning from Both Franchisees and the Front Line

• Empathy from Franchisee Experience: Having spent years as a franchisee herself, Jackie brings empathy and a grounded perspective to franchisor decisions.
  • “Working for a franchisee for 10 years gave me the awareness and experience of what it’s like to live the life of a franchisee. And it’s hard!” – [20:03, Jackie]
• Brutal Transparency with Franchisees:
  • Deals with difficult decisions and necessary changes by being honest and clear, and seeks backup from the CEO when needed.
    • “It is just brutal transparency… if it’s a decision that we need to make and it’s good for the system as a whole, you state your point, state the reasons why…” – [23:43, Jackie]
• Trickle-Up Innovation:
  • Spends significant time visiting stores, both with franchisees and store-level staff, to observe real practices and glean new ideas.
  • “There is nothing that replaces sitting in a car with somebody traveling to their stores and learning their history… Investing in that upfront builds the foundation for when you have to have those hard conversations.” – [26:17, Jackie]
• Real-World Standardization Example:
  • Detailed the debate over whether taco meat should go on the bottom or the side—a practical example of operational consistency.
  • "We put it on the bottom… That is the official Taco John’s way moving forward under Jackie as COO.” – [29:28, Jackie]

4. Strengths of a Family-Owned Brand

• Multi-Generational Involvement:
  • Noted Taco John’s success with third-generation franchisees, achieved by fostering strong culture and brand loyalty.
  • Family ownership provides authentic passion and continuity, which can be a competitive advantage versus private equity-backed chains.
    • “There’s a long history and passion for this brand unlike anything that I’ve seen before.” – [30:20, Jackie]

5. Adopting Technology Sensibly (AI & Robotics)

• Careful AI & Robotics Adoption:
  • Watching robotics trends due to prohibitive costs; focused instead on practical uses of AI (e.g., AI-driven drive-thru orders, automating reports, ticketing).
  • Noted cultural resistance to AI in rural communities; emphasizing redeployment of labor rather than elimination.
    • “It’s been an interesting experience. In our more rural communities there is less acceptance of AI… It’s not about reducing labor, it’s about redeploying labor.” – [34:07, Jackie]
  • Agrees with Cameron that the ROI isn’t there for being first-mover on robotics; better to let prices fall and learning increase.

6. Back to Basics Philosophy

• Avoiding Over-Complication:
  • Stresses simplifying operations at the store level and not overburdening staff with conflicting directives.
  • “For God’s sake, let’s make a taco the same way, right?... We overload, especially at the drive-thru window, the person who is handing out food to our guests…” – [37:07 & 38:03, Jackie]
• Cutting Out the Noise:
  • Campbell and Jackie both shared anecdotes about scrapping overly complicated metrics and surveys to focus on what truly matters (e.g., net promoter score, intent to return).

7. Modernizing the Brand & Menu Evolution

• Pivot to Value Messaging:
  • With industry value wars on, Taco John’s is bridging toward quality by emphasizing value and fresh ingredients; positioning itself between fast-food giants and fast-casual competitors.
    • “Value wars are on… We’re really looking at, at least from a menu perspective, getting back to quality and being able to message quality.” – [43:13, Jackie]
• Retaining Corporate Locations:
  • Maintains some corporate stores for R&D and rapid prototyping but is not seeking aggressive expansion on that front.
    • “We are heavily leaning into especially our two locations in Minneapolis, because our culinary team is in Minneapolis… So we are just throwing stuff in there and saying, will this work?” – [45:59, Jackie]

8. Advice to Her Younger Self

• “Trust your gut, never leads you wrong.” – [47:02, Jackie]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Relationships and Recruitment:
  • “Great people are never looking for a job… Here’s a person who knew you, liked you, trusted you, saw your results and brought you with her a little bit later…” – Cameron [10:42]
• On Team Building:
  • “I’m a firm believer and give all the credit away, take all the responsibility, got your back. And when you build teams like that, you would walk through fire for each other.” – Jackie [11:30]
• On Standardization:
  • “We put [the meat] on the bottom. That is the official Taco John’s way moving forward under Jackie as COO.” – Jackie [29:28]
• On AI Adoption in Restaurants:
  • “It’s redeploying labor to areas where we can work on speed and accuracy. The things our consumer tells us is they want speed, but we also have a problem with accuracy and we need to make sure we’re still creating that human interaction at the window.” – Jackie [34:07]
• On the Value of Simplicity:
  • “Let it be genuine hospitality. There are, you know, a couple things that we can focus on but let’s calendarize it… Instead of everybody in the office going, my app is really important, my survey results are really important, we need to upsell…” – Jackie [38:03]
• On Employee Happiness:
  • “My most important metric is the happiness of employees, first. The customer, second. Because if I have really really happy employees, they’re going to wow the customers…” – Cameron [41:03]
• Advice to Her Younger Self:
  • “Trust your gut, never leads you wrong.” – Jackie [47:02]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• First 90 Days as COO: Learning & Integration – [03:35–07:42]
• Standardization Crisis (Taco-Making Example) – [07:42–10:42]
• Team Building & Core Competencies – [11:30–13:30]
• Leadership Development/Soft Skills vs. Expertise – [13:30–16:42]
• Gen Z & Y Workforce Management – [16:42–18:23]
• Franchisee Empathy & Frontline Insights – [20:03–22:10]
• Brutal Transparency with Franchisees – [23:43–25:12]
• Field Visits and Operational Truths – [26:17–29:28]
• Strengths of Family-Owned Franchises – [30:20–31:52]
• On Technology and AI in Restaurants – [33:10–36:09]
• Back to Basics & Operational Simplicity – [37:07–41:24]
• Modernizing the Brand & Value Proposition – [43:13–44:58]
• Corporate Store Strategy for R&D – [45:05–45:59]
• Advice to Her Younger Self – [47:02]

Final Takeaway

Jackie Secor’s journey highlights the vital role of emotional strength, adaptability, and clarity in modern operations leadership. Her approach blends authenticity, practical experience, and a focus on developing people—all while navigating technology’s possibilities and the enduring strengths of a family-owned brand.