San Antonio McDonald' s Restaurant Manager Cristina Salazar receives her Ray Kroc award from President of McDonald's USA Don Thompson and other McDonald's executives at the Ray Kroc awards banquet in Chicago on March 8.

San Antonio McDonald' s Restaurant Manager Cristina Salazar receives her Ray Kroc award from President of McDonald's USA Don Thompson and other McDonald's executives at the Ray Kroc awards banquet in Chicago on March 8.

GOLDEN ARCHES SHINE ON McDONALD'S EMPLOYEES

San Antonio restaurant managers and crew member honored with prestigious awards

Two local McDonald's managers and one crew member have received national kudos from the McDonald's Corporation. Store managers Letty Martinez and Cristina Salazar were recently honored with the 2007 Ray Kroc Award and Clemencia Torres was named the 2007 Crew Person of the Year.

Selected from a pool of McDonald's managers across the country, Cristina and Letty received their award at the national Ray Kroc Award banquet in Chicago on March 8 which was hosted by Don Thompson, President of McDonald's USA. 

"To receive recognition like this from McDonald's is beyond an honor," said Salazar. "The McDonald's family is such a unique and thriving environment and I am proud to be a part of this special organization."

The Ray Kroc Award is a performance-based award that recognizes the top one percent of McDonald's restaurant managers in the country every year.  Named after McDonald's corporate founder Ray Kroc, the award is given to managers who deliver superior results in the selected areas of performance, operational excellence, reinforcing McDonald's commitment to people, and building a better business.  McDonald's Owner/Operators and/or regional staff nominate restaurant managers for the Ray Kroc Award to recognize their hard work, dedication and commitment to McDonald's.  From there, a selection committee of representatives from McDonald's operations, training and human resources departments select the top one percent of McDonald's Restaurant Managers to receive the award.

As a true McDonald's leader, Salazar understands the importance of creating an interactive and positive workplace.  She is known for creating festive events at her restaurant that help engage crew and customers in special promotions, including the launch of Iced Coffee and the Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek Happy Meals.  She works closely with crew members on a daily basis, both teaching and demonstrating what it is to be a valuable employee.  Salazar is also active in the restaurant's neighborhood community, working with local schools, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts organizations, community centers and churches, and has learned much of what she knows by working alongside her parents who are longtime McDonald's Owner/Operators. Being the daughter of the owners didn't mean she had it easy, as she had to work her way up just like anyone else - from crew member to swing manager to shift manager and then most recently to Store Manager of the location at Hwy. 281 & Evans Rd. where she has been for the last three years.  Salazar is currently a Restaurant Supervisor and working towards becoming a McDonald's Owner/Operator through McDonald's second generation program.

San Antonio's other Ray Kroc Award winner, Letty Martinez, manages the McDonald's restaurant at Babcock and Prue Rd.  A 16-year McDonald's veteran, Martinez understands the value of effective communication and quality customer service. Under Martinez's leadership, the Babcock location has seen a sales increase of over 46 percent in the four years she has served as Store Manager. Each year, the restaurant participates in the McDonald's annual Good Friday fundraiser benefiting the 100 Club of San Antonio and in all World Children's Day events each November. The store also hosts weekly Family Fun Night activities as well as Spring and Fall Festivals. 

"Just working for this company is an honor, but to receive an award such as this is truly amazing," said Martinez.  In addition to her work with McDonald's, Martinez is an active member of the community, supporting Zachry Middle School and volunteering at local nonprofit organizations throughout the city.

McDonald's employee Clemencia Torres - affectionately referred to as "Grandma" by customers and co-workers - also received a prestigious award from the company.  Grandma received the Crew Member of the Year Award for McDonald's Houston region, which includes 650 stores and more than 20,000 employees.  The Regional Crew Person of the Year Award was established in 2002 to spotlight contributions that the crew member makes to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction.  Individual store owner/operators nominate candidates.         

"Clemencia embodies the McDonald's spirit, working with children and adults to make their McDonald's experience a valued memory," said Ned Stagg, local McDonald's Owner/Operator. "Clemencia motivates and inspires all, both fellow crew members and customers. We are proud of her accomplishments and know first-hand that she is the true Crew Member of the Year."

In 2004, Torres began working at McDonald's and swiftly moved into the role of Store Activities Representative (S.T.A.R) where she supervises Family Fun Nights, working with more than 100 children each week on craft projects and is the hostess for all birthday parties.  One of her most important roles in the restaurant is serving as a mentor to younger crew members.  Clemencia even recruited her husband, known as "Grandpa," to work for the company. Currently she splits her time between three McDonald's locations, but calls the restaurant at 5304 Rigsby and Loop 410 home.