Sean still lovin’ it at McDonalds after two decades
A lot of water, or in his case sauce and mayo, has passed under the bridge in the 20 years since Sean Forbes walked through the doors of McDonald’s restaurant in Fort William for his first shift as a part-time crew member.
But now all his hard work has paid off with Sean’s latest advance through the fast food giant’s ranks seeing him promoted to area manager of McDonald’s restaurants in Fort William, Inverness and Elgin.
Now aged 36, Sean started his career at McDonald’s Fort William as a part-time crew member while still at school, aged 16.
Since then he has worked through the ranks in the branch with roles including crew trainer, shift runner and second assistant, before being promoted to acting business manager in 2007.
Sean has run the Fort William restaurant since then. Originally employing only 16 crew in January 2007, the branch now needs 80 staff in the winter and more than 110 in the summer to cope with tourists.
McDonald’s Fort William has gone through two refurbishments and two extensions, including an extended dining area, new stockroom, chiller, freezer, corral, office and a kitchen extension – doubling its size.
Franchisee Craig Duncan who owns and runs eight restaurants across the north of Scotland, says Sean has been exceptional in leading the Fort William restaurant through a period of upheaval and uncertainty.
‘He’s transformed its fortunes, guiding and motivating his team to embrace the changes and has worked alongside them to ensure success,’ said Craig.
‘He has developed into a natural leader and I’m confident he will do a fantastic job as area manager for the Fort William, Inverness and Elgin restaurants.’
Speaking about his new role, Sean told the Lochaber Times: ‘I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to run the Fort William, Inverness and Elgin McDonald’s restaurants.
‘It seems like only yesterday I started my career at McDonald’s Fort William as a fresh-faced school boy and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
‘This new role presents me with the opportunity to develop my own skills, manage a strong team and ensure we’re providing the best possible customer experience across the north of Scotland.’