While all of them have different back stories, each of these McDonald’s franchisees has found themselves on the journey of a lifetime, where the destination is a business that’s driven by passion.
Nothing like it: A life-changer for Chirag
Originally training as a pharmacist, Chirag Pandya held roles in finance and healthcare before relocating to Nottingham where he became, at that time the youngest McDonald’s franchisee to join the UK network.
How did it feel to find out you would be running your own McDonald’s franchise? And in Nottingham?
McDonald’s explained that my restaurant wouldn’t be in London, where I’m from, or in Birmingham, where my wife’s from. Instead, they identified Nottingham as an area with strong growth potential and asked me to relocate there. I said: “Okay, I’ve never been there before, but I’m up for it!”
The day I began trading was very emotional – there were tears! My family came to the opening, my wife was expecting our first child at the time, my parents and my sister were there. It was a massive tear-jerking, pinch-me moment that it had all finally come to fruition.
And what were the early days of running your business like?
First and foremost, it was important to get to know my team and customers; the people who are visiting my restaurant, as well as those who are working hard with me. We have people that range from those that have served here nearly 42 years, right down to the first person that I spoke to, who’d only joined 19 days ago. That person is someone I’ve since promoted from Crew, to Crew Trainer, to Floor Manager. It’s magical getting to know the regulars and their families. I’ve met customers that had their first date in this restaurant when it opened 38 years ago! We’ve a very, strong community presence.
What is that community like?
Well, we’re set in the middle of a retail park, so we’ve got supermarkets, a gym, household and DIY stores, you name it, everything’s around us, so we’ve got very high visibility. We’re very embedded in our local community, and it’s brilliant.
It’s brilliant because everyone knows you; it’s not just another McDonald’s, it’s Chirag’s McDonald’s! And I think the type of footfall we get is really quite diverse in terms of what their needs are, what they do, why they’re coming. Customers hang out at our restaurant, they come in, stay, sit down… there’s a moment for them where they’re no longer in a rush.
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