McDonalds is a brand that has always had family at its heart – but for one franchisee holder in Norfolk this has more than one meaning.
Kevin Foley, owner of 14 branches across the East of England, was son of Terry Foley, the very first UK company employee to be granted a franchise, and later became McDonalds first UK-based second-generation franchisee.
And now his own son Lucas Foley, 18, is following in their footsteps, taking a role of Crew Member at his father’s Tuckswood branch.
Kevin said: “We were all born with ketchup in our veins. I am absolutely thrilled that Lucas has decided to give it a whirl. I have no idea if any of my children will follow the path I did but its rather special to have another Foley in the field right now – especially in McDonalds’ 50th birthday year. It feels like we have even more the celebrate.”
The Foley family’s lives have been intertwined with the evolution of the McDonald’s brand in the UK ever since Terry began working at its Woolwich branch in London in the 1970s.
The young man later went through the McDonald’s management programme and was promoted into several senior roles, with Kevin, only 12 at the time, joining him as he toured stores on the weekends carrying out customer satisfaction reports and audits.
When Kevin reached 14, he took a part-time job at the Eltham High Street branch in London and shortly afterwards his father was offered the chance to become the first UK company employee to be granted a franchise.
In 1996 Kevin was offered the chance to become the first second generation franchisee in the UK.
He said: “I have loved every minute of my career, and I continue to lead by example in all my branches. At K Foley Ltd, we push the family-focused ethos throughout, and I have always taken immense pride and satisfaction in seeing young people progressing through the business. Who knows, maybe now this will be with my son.”
Lucas, who is also a theatre and performing arts student, said: “I am really enjoying working in this branch. I love the stories behind how our family got involved in McDonalds and I think its great that I get to experience a taste of it.”
McDonalds UK is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and is celebrating with a special menu. The brand opened its first restaurant in the UK in October at a location in Woolwich. It has since grown to over 1,270 locations and employs over 120,000 people across the nation.
