Yet another honor has been bestowed on Jessica Castillo, Manager of the McDonald's at 280 Branford Road in North Branford. On March 3, Castillo was announced as a recipient of the 2017 McDonald's Outstanding Restaurant Manager Awards in Connecticut. Only the top 10 percent of managers receive the honor nationwide.  In 2016, Castillo, a native of Guatemala,was honored among the top one percent of McDonald's restaurant managers globally, with a prestigious Ray Kroc Award.

In 2005, newly arrived from Guatemala, Castilla's first job in America was with a McDonald's crew job at a highway rest stop in Milford. Read Zip06/The Sound's 2016 profile on Castillo and her remarkable success story here

The Outstanding Restaurant Manager Award is presented to managers who display outstanding performance in leadership, commitment to customers, and dedication to running their restaurant to the highest quality, according to a March 3, 2017 announcement from CT and Western MA McDonalds owners/operator association.

Castillo is the only shoreline area winner among the 15 Connecticut and Western Massachusetts winners of the 2017 McDonald's Outstanding Restaurant Manager Awards.