Pizza Hut team member Adrian Rodriguez has had quite a standout career year!
No stranger to Pizza Hut’s annual pizza making competitions, Adrian has participated every year since we acquired his location over a decade ago. Most recently, we’ve been proud to see our dedicated pizza cook rise to every occasion — winning state, then competing and landing another win in Las Vegas, NV, and finally slingin’ dough like a pro at nationals in Plano, TX while competing against others from around the country.
“At each level, my Area Manager, Regional Manager — they’ve always showed up,” he says about advancing with company support.
Adrian Rodriguez is the first at the team member level to win a spot for the Cancún company trip!
Director of Concepts Joe Terrinoni accompanied Adrian to the Vegas event and to pump him up, said he’d take Adrian on the company trip if he made it to nationals.
“For a split second, I totally forgot about the trip!” Adrian recalls. Typically reserved for Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) and Area Coaches (ACs), he’s the first Desert de Oro Foods’ (DDO) team member to be invited to attend our Estrellas de Oro reward trip! Adrian is excited to check out a new place and says he’s been encouraged to take advantage of the catamaran excursion.
Details & Drive
At 21, Adrian’s first job was with another Pizza Hut franchisee. He says before that, he just had other “jobs” like helping his dad with yard work. While Pizza Hut team members are cross trained to know the different roles, as someone who likes to be behind the scenes, Adrian always comes back to being a pizza cook. And he’s clearly mastered the art!
Today, Adrian works at our Chino Valley, AZ Pizza Hut in northern Arizona, a location that’s right off the highway and offers easy access to Flagstaff, Kingman and Prescott.
“Where I live, it’s pretty rural so there’s not a lot of businesses to work at,” he shares. Adrian describes the landscape as open plains with mountains and forest off in the distance.
Adrian expresses contentment with his work. He says what he appreciates most is the fact that he’s rarely stressed and finds the laidback atmosphere a perk. He also speaks highly of how approachable leadership is.
“I think the management is good … they trust us, they communicate. It’s super easy to work with them.”
– Adrian Rodriguez, Team Member
While he once was nervous about the annual pizza competitions, this resident pizza champion now makes it all look so easy. When asked what’s next for him, Adrian offers an honest answer.
“I think I’m just a person that doesn’t look too far into the future,” he says.”I kind of like to just ‘go with the flow.’”
Staying in the present, he plans to continue working as hard as he can and try for higher levels of competition. We say, keep baking to perfection and you’ll surely rise, Adrian!