Mitricia Gabriel: General Manger, Evangeline Thruway
From Crew Member to General Manager
If you would have asked Mitrisha at the age of 16 if she thought she would be the General Manager of a McDonald’s restaurant, she probably would have smiled, laughed slightly, and answered with “No sir!”
“I started working for MacLaff when I was 16 years old and attending North Side High School. Manuel Darby hired me. He’s been the best in and out of the store. He really cares for his people. Manuel showed me how to motivate a team, work together to resolve issues and how to keep positive vibes.”
“My story sounds a lot like others. I was referred by a friend at 16 and came on as a crew member. At 18 I was offered to move up as a swing manager, but I denied it. I didn’t feel ready, I was scared. But 5 years ago, they promoted me to become a DM3. I began my career at Evangeline Thruway as crew and have made stops along the way at BRCC, Marilyn, and Nicholson all to come full circle and land back here at the Thruway as the General Manager in April of 2022.”
We asked Mitrisha if she could go back and give her 16-year-old self some advice, what would it be? “Trust the process! What you are doing is not going unnoticed. Keep your head up and keep going.”
Some words that best describe Mitrisha would be, “hardworking, ambitions, dedicated, and energetic!”
When asked about Hamburger University Mitrisha said, “I liked how we got to work within a group. On the day of graduation, we had to make a presentation and my group won! It was fun participating and motivating my team the whole time. My biggest takeaway was being able to take myself out of the box and allowing others to help me. I learned how and when to step back and observe and coach instead of always jumping in and trying to do it all myself.”