McDonald’s Honors Rochester Manager With Rare Ray Kroc Award

You can’t drive far without spotting those famous Golden Arches. There are seven McDonald’s restaurants in the Rochester area, hundreds across Minnesota, more than 13,000 in the U.S., and over 40,000 Mickey D’s locations worldwide.

Thirteen percent of Minnesotans have worked for McDonald’s at some point, and today, more than two million people around the world are employed at McDonald’s restaurants, including Mario Gonzalez. The Rochester, Minnesota, man started out serving fries and worked his way up to running the show. Today, he’s being honored with one of the company’s most prestigious awards.

Rochester Man Wins McDonald’s Ray Kroc Award

Since 1999, McDonald’s has recognized standout employees around the world with the Ray Kroc Award — named after the company’s founder — to honor managers who embody Kroc’s vision of leadership and care for both customers and crew.

Only 137 managers worldwide are receiving the award this year, and Mario Gonzalez, manager of the McDonald’s at 1306 Apache Drive SW in Rochester, is one of them.

That location is owned by Courtesy Corporation. Rick Lommen from Courtesy praised Gonzalez, saying, “Mario displays remarkable enthusiasm, drive, and leadership. His unwavering positive attitude, commitment to growth, and dedication to McDonald’s exemplify the qualities of an exceptional manager.”

SEE BELOW: THE CHAIN THAT HAS TWICE AS MANY LOCATIONS AS MCDONALD'S IN MINNESOTA.

Gonzalez began his McDonald’s career 14 years ago as a 19-year-old crew member. He became a General Manager in 2018 and now also oversees another Rochester McDonald’s.

He was presented with the Ray Kroc Award on Wednesday morning and will also receive a cash prize and a trip to the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention.