Yvette Rodrigues, a Lehighton resident and general manager of Walnutport McDonald's, was surprised Monday morning by winning the national Ray Kroc award.

The Ray Kroc award is given to the top 1 percent of McDonald's restaurant managers at both independently owned and operated franchisee restaurants and McDonald's corporately-owned restaurants across the United States. In order to win this award, which is named after McDonald's legendary founder, general managers must be nominated for achieving success in operational excellence, management leadership and customer satisfaction.According to Rodrigues' supervisor Nancy Redcay, only two Philadelphia region managers won the award.Redcay works as the supervisor for the Walnutport and Schnecksville stores and nominated Rodrigues for the award."She runs a great store. Her operations are outstanding. She scores high on her corporate visits and mystery shops," Redcay said. "She has it all."Rodrigues has worked for the corporation for 26 years, becoming the general manager of her current store in 2000."I love it. I love the owner, my supervisor and crew. It's like my second family," she said.The most challenging aspect of her job is the long hours spent on her feet, managing 70 crew members.Rodrigues said she was aware of the nomination but it wasn't until she was on her morning break on Monday that she found out she had won."I'm shocked," she said. "To me, I just work here, I just do my job.""It's amazing, she deserves it," said Redcay. "I worked for 35 years for Tim (Reid, store owner) and no one from this area has ever won the award."The Walnutport store is grouped into the Philadelphia region, which includes close to over 500 stores Redcay estimated.Rodrigues will be award a monetary prize of $2,500 and an expenses paid three-day trip to Florida for the award show, where she will be recognized in front of her peers at McDonald's World Wide Convention.