From 93p-an-hour cleaner to boss of Golden Arches empire
Doug Wright tell Nick Horner how he built a huge McDonald’s franchise in the Midlands after starting at the bottom – and breaking his neck
DOUG Wright started working for McDonald’s the day before he left school, aged 16. Now, the 56-year-old from Sutton Coldfield runs branches from Bassetts Pole, Kitts Green, Stechford and Sutton to Lichfield, Burntwood, the Black Country and Solihull.
And he employs more than 2,000 staff.
It’s a long way from his first job with the global fast-food giant – a 93p-an-hour cleaner.
Celebrating 40 years with the golden arches, Mr Wright, who was made a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands in 2019, said: “I got my first job on July 1, 1981.
“I joined McDonald’s in Bedford, where I lived at the time, as a cleaner. Back then it was a hamburger restaurant that had hardly been heard of.
“I was part-time on 93p an hour. At 16 the first thing it taught me was basic life skills – discipline and team work. After eight weeks I was made part-time general assistant. Then full-time two weeks later. I was assistant for a year.
‘‘The first real promotion I had was to start training other staff. Then I got promoted to be the UK’s youngestever restaurant manager in Oxford when I was 20.”
But Mr Wright’s life changed dramatically when he was nearly paralysed following a car accident aged 20.
He said: “I broke my neck and was told I would never walk again. I was airlifted to Stoke Mandeville spinal centre in Buckinghamshire. I was there for the best part of a year. I was partially paralysed for four months but recovered.”
Such was the impression Mr Wright had made on McDonald’s that the company created an administrative role for him at its regional headquarters in Sutton Coldfield. He moved to the town in 1988.
He said: “I was finding sites for new restaurants. In the 1990s McDonald’s was about increasing its market share and opening more outlets. It really accelerated then.
But Mr Wright had an ambition to be his own boss.
“It was always my dream to own my own business,” he said.
“And McDonald’s offered me an opportunity to own and operate a restaurant. It felt like my dream had come true.”
He took on his first franchise in Lichfield in October 2002. But he was not happy to stop at one restaurant – he wanted his own golden arches empire.
He said: “For the first few years I was learning to run and operate the
business. Then I bought a second one in Bassett’s Pole in 2006, one in 2008, one in 2009 and another in 2010.
“The expansion really started in 2010. I have bought 15 restaurants since. The last one I opened was in Walsall in February 2019.”
Mr Wright now owns the Sutton Coldfield restaurant next to the regional headquarters where he worked for 14 years after his accident.
He was part of the chain’s aggressive expansion plan and move to franchises, which has increased the
number of franchised branches from 30 per cent to 85 per cent in the UK.
He said: “The idea was to put restaurants into the hands of local people who would generally do a better job. I’m very lucky all my restaurants are between 30 and 40 minutes from home.”
The pandemic has been tough for restaurant owners. But Mr Wright says McDonald’s has weathered the storm, looking after his 2,050 staff.
He said: “As a brand we only shut for about eight weeks. Then we were allowed to operate McDelivery.
‘‘We have had to change our ways and put a lot more protocols in place to protect employees and customers. McDonald’s has always had a great emphasis on safety and it became the number one thing.”
Mr Wright added: “I always had an entrepreneurial side and I understood the importance of creating a really good people culture. That’s allowed me to expand.
“Behind me there’s a wonderful team and a number of people who have been along with me on the journey. About 20 per cent of my workforce have been working with me for more than 12 years.
“Expansion creates opportunities. We have facilitated many, many promotions, all of which have been made internally.”
In 2016, he received the highest honour in the global McDonald’s empire, the Fred L Turner Golden Arch award, given every two years to recognise the best franchisees in the organisation’s entire system.
Mr Wright has also been instrumental in helping those in need.
He has worked hard to support Ronald McDonald House which provides accommodation for families with youngsters at the neighbouring Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Through his restaurants he has raised £1.4 million for the charity.
He said: “Because of the car accident many years ago, I love charity work. In 2002 I became a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House and helped raise money to build a 66-bedroom house next to the children’s hospital.
“I went from fundraiser to chairman of the charity. The thing that has driven me on, making sure I became successful, is making lives better for those less fortunate. I now dedicate 15 to 20 per cent of my time to Ronald McDonald charities.”
He added: “I still want to achieve a lot more. My next ambition is to reach 50 years with McDonald’s.”
I broke my neck and was told I would never walk again
Doug Wright