Rhonda WItt has been working at Hardee’s for only four months, but already she has become a whiz at making biscuits.
Pamela McCurry, her manager at the Cleveland Highway location in Dalton, Ga., put Ms. Witt on biscuit duty one morning when the store was shorthanded. She said she was amazed at how quickly Ms. Witt rose to the occasion.
“I told (district manager Ryan Schults), ‘You’re going to have to see this,’ ” Ms. McCurry said.
About herName: Rhonda Witt.Age: 40.Hometown: Copperhill, Tenn.Family: Three grown daughters and three grandchildren, Hailie, Isaac and John.Favorite Hardee’s menu item: Smoked sausage biscuit.Last vacation: Five years ago to Gatlinburg, Tenn.
They realized they might have a champion in the making, and soon Ms. Witt was working to perfect her technique.
“I’d just made biscuits a couple of times before that,” she said.
Her practice paid off. Recently, she won first place in Hardee’s district biscuit competition against top biscuit makers from six area stores. Moving on to a companywide competition, she placed first out of seven people representing 42 restaurants. Her most recent conquest was a second-place finish in a regional competition against seven bakers representing 278 stores.
Bakers are judged on their procedures, as well as the time it takes them to prepare biscuits, then the biscuits are judged on their taste and appearance.
The winner of the last contest is a two-time champion from Florida who will go on to Hardee’s national competition in St. Louis. Ms. McCurry predicts the rival’s reign may be coming to an end.
“She’s going to have to move over, because she won’t be going (to nationals) anymore. Rhonda’s just that good. So watch out next year.”
“She a natural,” Mr. Schults said.
Q: What time do you arrive at work to start making biscuits?
A: At 4 a.m., and I never get tired of making them.
Q: Do your friends ever ask you for the recipe?
A: Yes, but I never give it out, though.
Q: Do they ask you to make biscuits for them?
A: Yes, but I don’t. I tell them they have to come into the store to buy them.
Q: How many do you make every week?
A: I make anywhere from 6,500 to 7,000 each week, but I also make the cinnamon-raisin biscuits, about 350 of them each week.
Q: What does it mean to you to be the winner of the different competitions?
A: I feel very honored and pleased that I’ve accomplished this.
Q: How do you prepare for the competition?
A: I study a lot and watch videos and practice every day to make it become a natural habit so I don’t have to even think about it when I’m in the middle of doing it.