Fast Food Pioneer.

McDonald’s is the largest and most successful restaurant business in history. The fast food restaurant chain serves about 70 million customers daily in over 100 countries, from more than 40,000 outlets. Founded in 1940, Rita Stewart Mack has been a major figure in the inclusion of women and Black Americans in the financial success of the company for almost half of the company’s existence.

Rita Stewart Mack opened her first restaurant in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1986. After acquiring two more, she quickly became a leader among the company’s franchisees.

Rita and nine other female owner/operators launched the McDonald's Women Operator Network (WON), which now has a membership of more than 500.

Later, Rita served as Chair & CEO of the National Black McDonald's Operators Association (NBMOA), and she is only the second female elected to lead this 40-year-old organization. Members of the NBMOA own over 1,400 restaurants throughout the United States with annual sales collectively exceeding $ 3.4 billion.

THE ORIGINS OF RITA STEWART MACK 1865-1900

Rita Mack is a descendant of Allen Stewart Sr., a man of extraordinary dignity, whose drive was suppressed by the American slavery system into which he was born.  

When the Civil War ended in 1865, Allen Stewart was freed from bondage, and found fresh outlets for his entrepreneurial capabilities. 

Allen Stewart Sr. bought land from the large estate of William ‘Bill’ Conley, a friend who owned parcels throughout Madison County, including his main residence where modern day Colonial Golf Course in Meridianville, Alabama currently stands.

In his many businesses which made him a very rich man, William ‘Bill’ Conley came to rely on Allen Stewart as a trusted lieutenant. Two (2) of William Conley’s grandchildren and two (2) of Allen Stewart’s grandchildren would marry, intertwining the families for generations afterwards. Several great grandchildren also intermarried, adding mightily to the family’s military and aerospace traditions.

Rita’s branch of the Stewart family would eventually move to Nashville, then growing a bit faster than Huntsville. Rita grew up in the close-knit community of Nashville’s striving Black middle class anchored by a network of churches, schools, and benevolent organizations. 

In the 1950s, Black American communities across the country had a sense of pride and purpose. In the long shadow of racial and ethnic segregation, they carved out a place in American society, filled with dignity and modest ambition. No where was that more true than Nashville - a shining star of hope and aspiration.

At local public schools in Nashville, Rita took an interest in science. She was a serious and conscientious student. The rigor and focus required for science would set her on a path to college, as the Civil Rights Movement was opening new doors of opportunity for women.

Rita attended Nashville’s Tennessee State University, known across The South as TSU. She majored in Mathematics.

Forever grateful for the nurturing environment for women in science at TSU, decades later, Rita established the Anthony and Rita Mack Endowed Scholarship for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math students.

TODAY: AtLANTIC CITY, NJ

Rita and her husband Anthony Mack became leading citizens of the greater Atlantic City Area in New Jersey. More than another fast food franchisee, Rita and Anthony Mack are pillars of the Atlantic City Community. For 20 years, Rita has served as a commissioner of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (ACC&VA) board of directors.

She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey.

Rita Stewart Mack is a board director for Stockton University Foundation, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Her tireless devotion to the South Jersey community spanning from Atlantic City to Philadelphia is well-documented.