Among all the jobs available, fast-food service is the most common, Taco Bell Included. It comes as no surprise; these places require little experience and no schooling. The pay is on the lower end, but there are flexible hours, room for advancement and many establishments offer scholarships for college.

Many Felons often have little to no relevant job experience (due to being in prison for extended periods), and their conviction keeps most of them from getting a higher education. Even if they did have a degree, the conviction alone can keep them from being hired in other, higher paying jobs. Taco Bell is one of the biggest and most established fast food restaurants.

Many felons have written our organization, Help For Felons, asking the question “Does Taco Bell Hire Felons.” In this article we will answer that question and take an in depth look at Taco Bells hiring policies.

Answer: Some Taco Bell Restaurants will hire felons while other will not. This is because Taco Bell has franchise stores and corporate owned stores. Felons will have the best chance of being hired by Taco Bell franchises rather than the corporate stores since they are individually owned.

Corporate Owned Taco Bells

Working at a corporate owned Taco Bell is not a plausible job for most felons. Felons are unlikely to be able to get through the background check that is manditory for all employees. Since this is the case, most should apply at their local franchise. Thankfully more than 80% of all Taco bells are franchise owned and hire whoever they choose.

Taco Bell Franchise Jobs for Felons

These restaurants have traditional positions like, grill cook, cashier, etc… Even though every franchise has the name “Taco Bell”, they do not all have the same guidelines when it comes to working there. This includes background checks and policies regarding the hiring of felons. Since each Taco Bell is privately owned; this allows more flexibility and fewer barriers when getting hired.

Background Check Limits

It is important to understand that some states have laws regarding how far back a criminal background check can go. This can be helpful when applying to Taco Bell and other employers with a felony conviction. Here are the laws in each state.

Twelve states do not allow any felony conviction information older than seven years to be reported.

• California
• Colorado*
• Kansas*
• Maryland*
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire*
• New York *
• Texas *
• Washington*

(* exceptions based on pay/salary)

Some states will not report court cases where you were found NOT guilty: Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Alaska, California, New York and Michigan.

These states will report unlimited numbers of years back of felony convictions and also report NOT guilty verdicts: Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Applying to Taco Bell as A Felon

Getting Hired by Taco Bell is fairly simple, go to Taco Bells career site and fill out an application. You do not need a resume, you can  manually type in your education, references, and job experience. Once that is done, a phone call will be sent to those who meet the requirements. Some Taco Bell’s never do background checks; if they like you, they hire you. Other places have very strict rules, and any sort of criminal record will result in the immediate termination of application.

Taco Bell Corporate Office Jobs (California Only)

If a felon chooses to apply for a corporate office job, then they can apply directly on Taco Bell’s Corporate career site with just a resume and your name. If they feel you would be a good fit for an office position, you will be interviewed. It does not say anywhere that you will be subject to a background check, or that a conviction makes you exempt from employment. If you are a felon with a degree in business, then this may be a good place to work. It is also ideal for those with experience in technology or accounting. If you meet all the criteria, the only other issue is that their office are in California.

Taco Bell, A Good Option For Felons

There are many problems felons face when they get out of jail. The biggest is employment. Their record makes them unable to get higher paying jobs, so they are forced to look at places like taco bell for employment.

With the right credentials, felons could even get a corporate job in California! Those who are not good for the office also have a great future if you find the right franchise owner. Felons have a chance at not only a job, but to better for themselves through college scholarships. Education scholarships mean degrees, and this means a better career. We hope this answers your question “does Taco Bell Hire Felons.”