From cleaning floors to being named a top global manager, Miramar McDonald’s leader serves smiles
In 2007, Marcial Hernandez Arias’ story was similar to many Latinos who move to Miami for a new life. He was 17 and had just come to the United States from Camaguey, Cuba, with his grandmother Marisela Herrero.
He quickly landed a part-time job at a Hialeah McDonald’s, doing everything from meticulously cleaning the floors to making hamburgers. Working 16 years for the global fast-food giant has taken him from Hialeah to Jacksonville and to Miramar, in Broward County, where he’s a McDonald’s general manager. He oversees a staff of 70 employees, including 28 managers, at his restaurant.
At 33, Arias’ hard work is paying dividends, garnering him and his restaurant, international recognition by McDonald’s. This year he was selected a winner of the Ray Kroc Award, a prestigious internal award given annually to the chain’s best managers around the globe. He’ll be flying to Barcelona to receive the honor and to meet with McDonald’s corporate executives.
Since the award was first given in 1999, only 1% of McDonald’s managers worldwide, have joined this elite group of the chain’s managers. This year, 365 managers around the world won. The award is named for the businessman who in 1961 acquired the burgers-and-fries chain, known far and wide for its golden arches, from the McDonald brothers. Kroc, an Illinois native, ran the company as CEO from 1967 to 1973. Today, McDonald’s has more than 36,000 restaurants in 100-plus countries.
Arias took time recently during a busy lunchtime at his restaurant to discuss his professional journey and the importance of making customers smile. His interview with a Miami Herald reporter has been edited for clarity and brevity.
▪ Question: What prompted you to seek a job at McDonald’s?
▪ Answer: There was a McDonald’s close to where I lived in Hialeah, so I went there and asked for the manager. We spoke in Spanish because I never spoke any English at the time. The manager said she only needed overnight people. Since I was 17, I couldn’t do overnight shifts.
I felt bad. I really needed a job. As an immigrant, it’s hard when you get here and you don’t bring anything but the clothes you’re wearing and nothing else. She told me that I had a career opportunity, but I’d be training for two months during the day and then eventually I could work during the night. She opened the doors for me to work here. It’s a good place to grow, because you work with a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures.
No matter how old or how young someone is you can learn from everyone.
▪ Q: What was the transition like when you started the fast-food job making hamburgers in America, after your early years in Cuba?
▪ A: The first shift I worked at McDonald’s was the first time in my life I had seen mustard. It was the same thing with ketchup. Overall, it took a lot of patience, dedication and a lot of hours to learn everything, and all of the procedures of how to build sandwiches. I appreciate McDonald’s for giving me the opportunity to grow. I also learned English through the McDonald’s English Under The Arches educational program.
▪ Q: What is a memorable customer experience from your McDonald’s career that reminds you of the importance of giving back?
▪ A: I had a lady in the drive-thru trying to order food and used two credit cards, but neither went through. When the cashier told me, as a general manager, I said we would cover it. That made me feel better because it’s about how we’re taking care of customers. It’s about getting golden moments. That customer came back and became a regular customer. She said that she doesn’t go to any other McDonald’s.
The total was probably $14. But you never know sometimes what’s going on in the lives of people that you’re serving. You see that smile coming back on their faces and that makes you feel good about what we’re doing.
You’ll be dealing with different customers and when you come into the store and get feedback, the customer will call to say they love your restaurant. About 40 customers have even asked if they can bring their kids to work here. That tells you that you’re doing something right. We got a lot of people that start working at McDonald’s as a first job, and then go on to become doctors or have many different careers.
▪ Q: What does winning the coveted Ray Kroc Award mean to you?
▪ A: Winning the award is a reflection of all the hard work, and all the customers, my employees and I have served over the years. It also makes me remember my early days as a crew member who came from Cuba, unable to speak English. McDonald’s took a chance and hired me.
▪ Q: What is your next professional goal? Have you ever thought about becoming a McDonald’s franchisee?
▪ A: That’s going to be a big dream, but my next step is becoming a regional manager. With everything that we do well in my store, we could spread it to multiple locations through training. There’s a big training department at McDonald’s.
I’m very dedicated to my job, no matter how many hours I need to work. I want my store to be number one in everything, and my store to be the best. I love to help people grow. I love when I go to the different restaurant locations and I see people that used to work for me and now they are managers.
This story was originally published October 15, 2023 at 5:45 AM.
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