Burger King Profile - Ofelia Curthirds

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are proud to spotlight some of the incredible people behind the Burger King brand, including Ofelia Cruthirds.

Ofelia has been with Burger King for more than 21 years, and in that time has held many positions. Throughout her career, she has always been part of the field team, working shoulder-to-shoulder with BK Franchisees and Team Members. Currently, she is a manager for field training.  

Over her impressive and influential time at BK, Ofelia remains steadfast in her appreciation for the people she has the opportunity to work with – from Franchisees to Team Members, to Burger King colleagues and the Guests that she interacts with in restaurants. Ofelia speaks highly of the RBI culture and is passionate about bringing her love for the BK brand into every aspect of the work she does.  

The secret to her longevity and success? Having a people-centric mindset. Throughout the craziness and busyness of her days, Ofelia reminds those around her that part of the RBI culture is seeing and valuing the people she works with. She “elevates” the people she encounters at work. For example, Ofelia shares, “Focus on the positive. I don’t say there are problems, there are only opportunities.” And amongst those opportunities, Ofelia finds excitement and inspiration for “building the brand for the future.”

Another key to Ofelia’s success is seeing herself as a consultant to those around her. Ofelia talks about the value of leadership within each Burger King restaurant and has observed that leadership is seen in the development of soft skills and the management of the restaurant.

She appreciates RBI’s emphasis D&I. When Ofelia began with the brand, she was pursuing her MBA, and Burger King helped and supported her through the remainder of her schooling. Reflecting on this, she talks about the value of education and gives credit to a past colleague for starting an educational program for Hispanic employees within the Burger King business. Ofelia believes in the power of education so employees can learn and grow internally at RBI.  

She does not stop there. Ofelia emphasizes the importance of “learning culture”. Learning more about culture allows for a stronger work force and ultimately paves the way for relationships to build and flourish.