Queensland’s Maccas Moguls: Meet the high-flying, burger-flipping licensees generating millions
He started flipping burgers in the kitchen in the 90s. Today, he is the licensee on three McDonald’s restaurants in South East Queensland. This is how he did it.
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Have you ever wondered how the burgers from one of the world’s largest fast-food franchise’s get to your plate?
Well, some of the faces of McDonald’s are right here in Queensland.
Queensland is one of the biggest states in the country for McDonald’s with 229 restaurants and 48 franchisees currently operating.
We went behind the scenes to talk with some of Queensland’s ‘Maccas moguls’ about what goes into being a licensee, how they started out and what it’s like on a day-to-day basis.
With a healthy annual salary for licensees of about $150,000 per store which on average make $2.7 million in sales a year, according to Mashed, a lot goes into running the business and, as it turns out, it isn’t just about burger flipping.
From charity events to developing young people for the workforce to being an integral part of our community, some of the Maccas top dogs have revealed what really goes on in the business.
And with McDonald’s recently announcing its biggest growth plan since the 1990s, investing more than half a billion dollars to open 100 new restaurants by the end of 2025 in Australia, now may be a better time than ever to join the crew or become a franchisee.
We have spoken to licensees from Townsville right down to Gold Coast and all over.
They have shared with us their stories including one of them who has been in the McDonald's business for 40 years starting as a crew member and others joining from an entirely different field of work.
But it’s no easy gig, with more than one million dollars in expenses to even open a store, according to the McDonald’s website, here’s how some of the Maccas faces in Queensland made their way to the top.
Among some of the faces close to home is Tanya Manteit-Mulcahy, who is the owner of some of Brisbane’s most popular McDonald’s stores along Brunswick St and Queen St.
Ms Manteit-Mulcahy sold the landmark New Farm Deli in 2011 paving the way for her purchase of three McDonald’s stores across inner city Brisbane.
Prior to that, she spent nearly 20 years working at Queensland Medical Laboratories, she told The Courier-Mail in 2013.
BEN ATKINS
Hope Island, Pacific Pines and Harbour Town licensee
For Ben Atkins his love of the brand is what ultimately drove him to becoming a licensee.
It all began for Mr Atkins in the 90s when he started as a crew member in Darwin where his father – formerly a franchisee – owned three restaurants.
Mr Atkins said he worked all through his school years and for a year after he graduated.
“But I always had an itch to do something of my own, so I went and did a plumbing apprenticeship and worked in the mines for a while as plumber and gas fitter,” he said.
“Then I came back after 10 years to pursue the career of a McDonald’s franchisee.”
Mr Atkins said the three main highlights in his career so far were seeing people develop and succeed, the RMHC and the involvement with local communities.
“A young girl who worked with me from 14 years old always told me she wanted to become a pediatric nurse at the Gold Coast University Hospital,” he said.
“When I was visiting our rooms there for the RMHC, I actually ran into her and she gave me a big hug and we talked for a while. She said she’d gone full circle and was getting to see how the RMHC impacted everyone.”
Favourite menu item: Classic Angus meal add ketchup with a strawberry shake or a mighty muffin meal with a flat white on lactose free milk for the mornings.
JANELLE DOYLE
Fairfield Waters, Townsville CBD and North Ward licensee
Janelle Doyle has been in the maccas game for four decades working in stores across Australia and even in the United Kingdom.
“I started as a crew person in Wollongong and worked my way up into management then I moved to Sydney worked at McDonald’s in the UK, Perth and Brisbane,” she said.
Ms Doyle said she was offered the opportunity to become the licensee of McDonalds in Roma in 2006.
“It was a big shock moving my family from Brisbane to a small country town,” she said.
“I had young children at the time but my daughter is now 24 and wants to follow the same career path as me.”
Ms Doyle said the role was very rewarding but didn’t go without its challenges.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is recruitment and trying to find staff that want to come in an work for us and with all the economic pressures at the moment it’s tough,” she said.
“People need to know it’s not just about making hamburgers it’s about working with the team and teaching staff life skills.”
Ms Doyle said the best parts of the job for her were getting to mentor as well as Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
“You hear amazing stories come out of them and it’s good to know how you’re giving back to the community,” she said.
“I get touched every year when we go to the ball and meet families from the RMHC that come along – it brings it all home on why we are doing what we are doing as licensees.”
Favourite menu item: Hamburger or Fillet-o-fish
NIKI RAMSAY
Mackay East, Mackay Food Court, Mackay North, Mackay Northern Beaches, Mackay South. Ooralea licensee
Niki Ramsay’s father was a licensee, she is a licensee and her daughter says she wants to be a licensee when she’s older.
Ms Ramsay first set foot in a maccas in 1990 when her father opened the first McDonald’s in Mackay and at just 10 years old she fell in love.
From there she worked her way up the ranks working in every single role available before she became the licensee of six stores in Mackay.
But Ms Ramsay said it didn’t happen “overnight.”
“I remember I would work in the dining room on weekends to earn a bit of pocket money from Dad and I went right through to grade twelve,” she said.
“I always wanted to be a McDonald’s licensee from when I walked in the door,” she said.
Ms Ramsay said daughter Gracie loves to come in and help around sometimes.
“She now says ‘Mummy I want to be just like you’,” she said.
Favourite item on the menu: Quarter Pounder
KYM MUNRO
Chinchilla, Dalby and Harristown licensee
Kym Munro, originally from Western Australia, moved into her role from a completely different field but has never looked back.
Ms Munro said she was an environmental scientist which in some ways did prepare her for her role.
“It taught me how to work under pressure and also solve complex problems,” she said.
Ms Munro said she was a good example of someone who hadn’t grown up in McDonald’s.
“ … not even from similar industries but I’ve adapted to learning my skills. My main advice for people starting out is to be open to opportunities,” she said.
Ms Munro said the roll included lots of mentoring, coaching, talking and community work.
“There’s a perception about McDonald’s and we need to show people what it’s actually like and how good it actually is for any local community,”
“You’ve got 18 year olds running shifts of 25 people, it’s an incredibly good experience,” she said.
Favourite menu item: Aioli chicken wrap, add cheese
MARK MCCORMACK
Karalee and Kenmore, Bellbowrie and Brassall licensee
Mark McCormack worked across the globe in the food supply group for McDonald’s before settling right here in Brisbane in 2014.
As he puts it he came from “the other side of the three-legged-stool” of McDonald’s success which comes from the suppliers, corporate and licensees.
“I was posted in Singapore for a while where we supplied major food companies with everything from coffee to syrups, to dressings and cheese,” he said.
“So I did have exposure to McDonald’s in that role.”
Mr McCormack said the McDonald’s values aligned with him and its success resonated with his ambitions.
“I started my training in Kenmore in my early 40s as a crew person before I got my first store which was at – Ormeau on the gold coast but I since sold it,” he said.
“Last year I purchased Kenmore and it was kind of poetic in a way that where I started I now owned and some people even remembered me.”
Mr McCormack said one of his favourite things was working with people and the support within the business.
Favourite menu item: Quarter Pounder add McChicken salt, add lettuce and add tomato
Originally published as Queensland’s Maccas Moguls: Meet the high-flying, burger-flipping licensees generating millions
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