Michael Roper, president and CEO of Taco Bueno,
Michael Roper (’86), will be the featured boss on an episode of CBS’s hit series Undercover Boss! The episode will air on Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m. EST. Recipient of a degree in business administration, Michael Roper is president and CEO of Taco Bueno, a high-quality Tex-Mex chain with more than 175 restaurants, founded in Abilene, Texas. The fresh, never frozen food, earned Taco Bueno the title of “America’s Best Mexican Chain” beating out Taco Bell and Chipotle.
CBS representatives in touch with NIU said, “Roper’s compassion and dedication for improving his company and bettering his employees was not only evident, but also inspiring.”
Undercover Boss is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reality series that follows high-level executives as they slip anonymously into the rank-and-file of their own organizations. Each week, a different leader will sacrifice the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their operation.
In the episode, Roper, who has undergone a physical transformation for his undercover role, shadows an assistant general manager and is put to the test filling large orders while attempting to keep the customer window wait time at 45 seconds. He also tries his hand at operating the drive-through alongside a crew member, failing to sound energetic when taking orders. Roper struggles to operate a forklift without damaging products while aiding a first shift leader at the tortilla manufacturer, and he encounters a general manager who strives to lead effectively amidst technical difficulties.
