We have lifelong friends in Chicago and their son has worked at McDonald's corporate headquarters since he got out of college. He spent the weekend sweating it....apparently, it's their corporate headquarters here in the US doing the layoffs, although my friend's son travelled to Europe for his job. The majority of the world's McDonalds are franchise owned with a small percentage corporate-owned.
I worked for the Chairman and within the Executive team of McD's UK for 12 years. The absolute best employer I have ever worked for during my 46 year career. I ultimately only left due to wishing to change direction and study to become a garden designer - biggest decision of my entire working life as a single parent earning a huge salary and my son was only 12 at the time too, but, the at the end of the day, the best for me personally and for him too.
The Chairman even made me work out my required 3 month notice period when I submitted my resignation, (extremely rare back then), simply because he wanted/thought I would change my mind right up till the absolute last minute - and, I do mean absolute last minute! A compliment in one respect BUT, so unfair in another, as I was never going to back track, was I?
20 years ago, the vast majority of US McDs were franchised, which so wasn't the case in the UK - that being the case, the UK had far better control of product quality control/marketing/pricing etc. As in, every McD's you walked into in the UK would provide exactly the same product, regardless of location - which I understood was not the case in the USA. Have absolutely no idea if that is still the case.
Every year on Ray Kroc's "Founders Day", HO staff around the world were expected to work in store. I did many, and every store I ever worked in, I was offered a job - it was hard work for the money but, ultimately fun if you were young, working through college etc. Although, I obviously declined every offer!
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I personally organised many of the original UK Annual Franchisee Meetings - 500+ attendees. All really nice people, some were ex-employees who had worked within McDs for 20 years, others, purely businessmen, some were even rather famous celebrities just wishing to invest. McD only desired owner/operators - that was their mantra back then - it was not just an investment, the owners had to be fully involved on a daily basis too!
I remember one of the Executives who had personally worked his way up the corporate ladder from the bottom, actually stating to me way back then that owning a McD's was a license to print "money".
And, an ex McD's French Marketing Director, once calling me, saying to me that it was "Michelle, your friendly frog" (his words), who was now a franchisee in the SOF - OMG, he was so fabulously funny, extremely handsome and I loved his humour too. I am certain he ended up a millionaire - good for him!
No idea what the situation is today, of course!
I also personally worked with, knew and really liked, Steve Easterbrook, recent past USA CEO before he went to the USA.
But, I will say, that the UK HO in East Finchley, London (where I used to work) sold off at the very least 50% of their building a decade or so ago, therefore, I am not surprised that the USA HQ in Chicago are having to do the same now in today's digital marketplace. That location must be worth a fortune today when most HQ employees can ultimately work from home in today's environment.