We spoke with Rackson Restaurants’ Director of Operations, Digna Ayala, about her Hispanic Heritage and career path at Rackson. In this exclusive interview, Digna shares how her culture has shaped the person she is today and discusses her experiences at Rackson over the past years.
How and when did you become involved at Rackson Restaurants? What was your journey to your position of leadership at RSC?
I’ve been with BKC for about 22 years, but I joined Rackson in 2016. At this time, I was working as an area coach in New York City. An area coach coaches a team. There are always teaching moments; you’re working shoulder-to-shoulder with team members to explain new standards and processes. I stood in this position up until 2020. During the pandemic, the city got hit the hardest, but we were able to keep our restaurants open. A few months later, I was given the opportunity to put my name in the pool of applicants for the Director of Northern operations. I’ll never forget: Chris and I had to sit on opposite ends of the table to social distance during the interview.
During summer 2021, we faced challenges in our southern market, so I provided support during recovery mode. I was overseeing 52 of our 65 restaurants at the time. It was challenging at first because there was a huge difference between how the north and south markets ran. There had always been a gap, but until this point there was no bridge between the two to explain how to run restaurants the Rackson Way. To establish a universal process, I hired and placed area coaches to create a strong support team…we created regional pods. I had a lot of support from the RSC…there were many boots on the ground helping to make sure we had adequate staffing across the board.
What is unique about your experience at Rackson?
Since 2021, I’ve had three stores open for Christmas Day. The one restaurant I go to on Christmas – 2446 – is always busy, so I bring the team treats and decorations. We’re just there pumping out the gas all day; it’s my home away from home. When you have a title, the crew doesn’t normally expect you to be there working alongside them, but doing so shows that as a company we value our people. I try to connect with everyone to ensure they’re getting support from all angles within the RSC. It’s important to know your people.
“One thing that I keep in the front of my mind is to be uncomfortable being comfortable. Individuals are usually comfortable staying stagnant. If it’s the other way around, you’re always challenging yourself to do more.”
Digna Ayala
What does Hispanic Heritage mean to you?
Food. Food, definitely. The tastes are completely different – the spices – the sazón that we use to dress up our meats and put into rice. Everyone comes together and there’s a lot of different dishes that we make. Prior to the holidays, we all get together to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma, aunts, and other family members who are visiting wFood. Food, definitely. The tastes are completely different – the spices – the sazón that we use to dress up our meats and put into rice. Everyone comes together and there’s a lot of different dishes that we make. Prior to the holidays, we all get together to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma, aunts, and other family members who are visiting will come over to one location and do a weekend family event, where we all bring the ingredients to make pasteles. We make hundreds, in bulk. It takes a lot of time and has a process to put them together. Because it’s such a long process, there’s hours of laughter and joy and family time in the room. Each pastel is made with love, and every hand touches it differently. One person oversees blending the plantains, one person is in charge of the maza, someone else adds meat, and another adds the veggies. I’m Puerto Rican, so we use pernil (roasted pork shoulder) in our pasteles. Within Hispanic culture, everyone has pasteles and coquito ready for the holidays. Coquito is a blended mix of carnation milk, coconut cream, and cinnamon. We also include Bacardi superior for our festive drink. You can mix up the flavor and add Oreos, pineapple, or even pumpkin spice, but we keep it traditional with the coconut flavor.
Do you have a favorite memory from your childhood where you most strongly felt a sense of community?
Since my family is Puerto Rican, our heritage month is primarily celebrated during the month of November. As a kid, I used to go with my aunt to my grandmother’s church. We held a Thanksgiving food drive for the community, so I would box up canned goods. Every family received a turkey, bag of rice, gondules (pigeon peas), Goya, and any ingredients needed to make stuffing. We also had a big box for a toy drive, where we’d donate brand new toys to children who didn’t have any. For my siblings and me, any toys we had in good condition would get put in this box. We understood the importance of giving to those in need.
Is there a specific element of Hispanic culture that you want to pass on to your children?
My oldest is 11 and my youngest is 5. For me, it’s more about getting them involved with family events and traditions. Every year they know we’re going to grandma’s house for Christmas Eve. Holidays are big for my family, and we celebrate Christmas Eve together.
What final thoughts do you wish to share?
II can relate really well to a lot of our employees because I started out as a Burger King team member when I was 15. I worked up to a shift lead, AGM, and then RGM while I was a full-time student. I know what it takes to work in all these positions. My arms are wide open and any situations they may have can be brought to me. Seeing a Hispanic woman as a Director of Operations really provides a lot of them with a sense of growth. Rackson is the land of opportunity. Everyone within the organization is provided with a roadmap to success and is set on a path to growth. Take advantage of these opportunities and use them to break through the glass ceiling.