Meet Chakita Ware.
Chakita Ware, a cashier at our Rosslyn location with great ambitions! She brings energy, personality, and a lot of laughs to her job every day, and we could not be happier to have her on board! As she looks at her District Taco future, there’s one thing that stands out about the company: “Growth potential.” Oh and if you can’t remember your usual order, there’s a good chance she’ll remember it for you!
DT: So, what is your job at District Taco?
CW: [I work] As a cashier. So, I work the front of the house. Sometimes I’ll clean the lobby, run food, clean the bathrooms. Also, I can help in the back with prep sometimes.
What do you love most about working here?
The customers. You have very interesting customers that come in here every day. A lot of the customers I’ve grown to know, so we communicate by name. So, it’s mostly the customers, for real. Because they make the day go by faster and also [make it] enjoyable.
Is there any memory about a customer that sticks out?
I have one customer, I can’t remember her name, she comes in every day and she only orders a bowl, with just extra lettuce and chicken. Then, another customer, he orders a Burrito Mojado with a tea, and chicken. And another customer that orders chips and queso, two tacos, and a tea. So, it’s like, certain customers you see enough, you know their order. I have one gentleman that comes in and orders a $25 burrito! That’s how much he loads it up with different meats. So, I have a lot of customers that I really know by face and name because I see them daily.
That’s super cool!
(Smiles) It is.
Looking forward, what do you hope for in terms of your job?
To become a manager soon. Probably within the next six months to a year, I’ll try to become a manager.
Is your ultimate goal to become a store manager, or regional manager, or…?
I’ll work my way up!
How do you go about doing that, exactly?
Perfecting my job performance. Basically, making sure I’m doing everything with my T’s crossed and my I’s dotted, and making management happy, as well as the customers.
Why do you want to be a manager?
I want to better myself. Staying in one position is not good, it’s always better to grow. And it’s better to grow with a company instead of trying to move from place to place.
Tell us about your upbringing. Are you from around here?
I grew up multiple places. I started in Southeast D.C., moved to Northeast D.C., and then moved back to Southeast. I realized to do things in life, you gotta go to school, get your education to better yourself. You need to get out and get a job so you can take care of yourself. You can’t depend on your parents to do everything. So, growing up I kind of matured quickly by looking at my surroundings, and I have a lot of older cousins, so I had no choice other than to mature faster. I’m the oldest out of four kids, so I had to play mommy and big sister too, sometimes.
What do you like to do outside of District Taco?
Most of the time it’s family first. Like, me and my son and my fiancé, we’re doing different things, going to amusement parks, the zoo, the movies. Other than that, cooking is my favorite thing. I love to cook.
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
Anything. I mean—anything! I just like to cook, and I’m the one that likes to try new and different recipes. So, I love to cook anything.
What’s something that people might not know about you?
I’m very supportive and very giving. Like, I’m more so that person that’ll support and give before I ask for something to be given to me.
How does that lend itself to working at District Taco?
If one of my coworkers needed a day off, or had a family emergency, or any reason. If I’m available, I’ll take the shift for them. Also, being encouraging. We have one young lady who’s going for the manager position. She kept talking herself out of it, and I kept talking her into it, like, ‘Do this, get the experience. You’re young, you’re gonna need this as you get older.’ So, yeah… I’m very supportive.
Finally, what’s your favorite thing to order at District Taco?
Now that they changed the menu, I love the California Burrito! I’m in love with it. Oh my gosh. The mixture of the guacamole with the chipotle mayo, it’s like it just melts in your mouth. That’s my favorite, but before that it was the fish tacos. I love the fish tacos. But if I had to really pick a favorite, it would be my queso with chips. Let me tell you, try the Mexican Way with jalapeños. It gives you a little bit of spice, but then the cilantro and the onion give the queso a little flavor. It is so good! Yeah, you gotta try it.
If you're in the Rosslyn area, make sure to stop by and say hi to Chakita and the rest of our team! Do you want to nominate a District Taco employee to be featured on our blog? Email us at taco@districttaco.com! If you're interested in joining the team, visit our careers page!