From door opener and greeter to franchisee of multi-million pound McDonald’s empire...
Hinckley franchise owner nearly didn’t make it to day two LORRAINE TELLS HOW HER SHAKY START WITH FAST FOOD GIANT HAS LED TO GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES
LORRAINE Lee hated the first day in her new job at McDonald’s. Thirty-eight years ago she was a shy teenager studying for her A-levels when she got the Saturday job to earn extra pocket money.
“It was the early 1980s and the whole McDonald’s experience was new and exciting,” she said.
“My mum, who worked at the job centre, knew McDonald’s were opening up locally and realised there would be jobs going.
“She got me to fill in a form and I went for an interview. Me and my friend Amanda Woodhall both went for jobs but I got chosen and she didn’t.”
Lorraine, now 54, was excited about her new job but was reduced to tears on her first shift.
“I was a very awkward 16-year-old girl back then and felt a bit self-conscious as I had to wear the full uniform with baseball cap.
“My job on my first day was to open and close the main doors for the customers as there were no automatic doors then.
“I will never forget when one particular man came in with his family. He patted me on the head and said: ‘Thanks, sonny’ as I opened the door for them. I could have died. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me there and then. I had to fight back the tears.
“I went home in tears after my shift had finished and told my mum, ‘I hate it there. I am never going back again.’
“My mum listened to me for a bit then more or less told me not to be silly.”
The next day, Lorraine went back to McDonald’s and has been with the company every working day since.
As a youngster she had flirted with other careers with jobs as a shelf-stacker and cashier at Tesco and selling fruit and veg on a market stall, but she quickly fell in love with McDonald’s.
“I cant really put my finger on why,” she said. “But I did. It forced me to get over my shyness and pretty quick, too.
“I think it had a lot to do with the fast-paced almost non-stop environment. I had to sink or swim, so I swam.
“Another reason I got on so well was that most of the staff were more or less in my age group so there was a real sense of community in there between us.
“We helped each other and had each other’s backs all the time.”
Lorraine stayed at that Walsall restaurant for four years and rose to the shift manager at age of 19.
She then moved to Tamworth and in her five years there became restaurant manager. After a spell of maternity leave, Lorraine went back all fired up and had spells with the company at Beeston near Nottingham, at Wyvern near Derby and five years as restaurant manager position of the tender in Coalville.
She worked her way up to area manager and was put in charge of six restaurants. Then, in 1999 she got her golden opportunity underneath the Golden Arches.
Her rise from door opener and customer greeter to area manager had not gone unnoticed by the big cheeses.
Her boss put her forward for a coveted franchise contract.
Accompanied by her husband, Harvey, Lorraine headed for the capital to try to secure a golden ticket.
“It was the single most terrifying thing I have ever had to do,” she said.
“I had to face a panel of McDonald’s bosses and tell them why they should give me a franchise.
“I gave it my best shot and I think my enthusiasm and genuine love for my work shone through.
“Anyway, after the interview they said they would let me know. I was chatting away with my husband as we walked across the car park to our car.
We’d a very good Christmas that year
“I was trying to work out what they thought of me when my phone rang. It was one of the panel telling me they wanted to offer me the franchise.
“I was stunned. amazing news.
“My long-term goal was always to get a franchise and go on from there. It was close to Christmas time and this meant we had a very good Christmas that year.”
Lorraine put her family’s money where her mouth was and bought the franchise at the McDonald’s restaurant in Regent Street in Hinckley town centre in May 2000.
“It was hard work, a real challenge,” she said. “The location wasn’t good as shops nearby started to close down and our footfall dropped. But we stuck in there and through teamwork kept going.”
Three years later she bought her second franchise – the drive-thru in Wheatfield Way off the A47 in Hinckley.
It was
“That was better straight from the start,” she said. “But things at the other place were not good. It was just not a profitable location.”
McDonald’s cut their losses and closed the Regent Street branch in Hinckley in 2007. Nine years later, in April 2016, Lorraine was offered and took on the franchise at Thurmaston.
Then, in November 2017, she bought the restaurant in Beaumont Leys. The three restaurants have an annual turnover of about £13.5 million with 308 members of full and part-time staff under Lorraine’s command.
To help her cope with running this growing empire, she turned to her family. Husband Harvey gave up his job as a self-employed painter and decorator to become maintenance manager for the three outlets.
Her 29-year-old daughter Georgia is assistant manager at the Hinckley branch.
“It is great to have the family so involved,” she said.
“They are my sounding board for lots of things and we can talk about work.
“They really understand my work challenges and frustrations.
“I think one of the secrets of my success is I always treat my staff like members of my family.
“I really care about them and want them to be happy at work.
“It’s a fast-moving environment and should be fun for staff and the customers. I think we have a great product and have three great teams serving those customers.
“We love being part of the community and try to reflect that by using local produce whenever we can and by listening to what the customers want.
“We want our customers to have a great time here and to keep coming back.”
Lorraine has come a long way since her first day when she held the door open for customers.
“I am now self-employed and live a comfortable lifestyle thanks to my career with McDonald’s,” she said.
“I am so glad I listened to my mum and went back to work on that second day.
“I guess I am still holding the door open but in a slightly different way.”