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This article was first published business insider.
former group mcdonalds Employees returned to the old Missouri restaurant for a “Class of 1975” reunion to celebrate nearly 50 years of working together.
In March, 19 former employees returned to the restaurant in East Missouri’s Hazelwood, some from Arkansas, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee, said a former McDonald’s who helped organize the reunion. One of the employees, Joan Oelhoffer, told Business Insider via email.
“Earlier this year, I was reminiscing with some friends about how special it is that we have stayed in touch for over 50 years, and I thought it was too late to celebrate,” Elhoffer said. Told. “We celebrated our 10-year reunion a long time ago, we had our 40-year reunion 10 years ago, and we wanted to make our 50-year reunion even bigger.”
Elhoffer said some attendees brought old photos and McDonald’s softball jerseys. They dined together, spoke with current employees of the restaurant, and even signed yearbooks made for the occasion.
Including franchise workers, McDonald’s is one of the largest employers in the United States, with one in eight Americans having worked for the McDonald’s chain. His network of over 40,000 corporate and franchised restaurants worldwide includes Over 2 million workers.
In October 2023, McDonald’s will host a lavish party to celebrate the company’s claim that more than 12% of Americans have worked at the fast food giant. Meet famous former crew membersMichelin-starred chef, astronaut, Peloton instructor, and more.
Provided by McDonald’s, via BI
Elhoffer began working at Hazelwood Restaurant when she was 16, she told BI. Most of the other former workers at the reunion were between 16 and 19 years old when they joined, and many continued to work after high school while attending local universities, she said.
“For almost all of us, this was our first job,” Elhoffer said.
Elhoffer said they became close while working at the restaurant, and some even played on the restaurant’s softball team. She said “several” of them, including herself, met her spouse while working at McDonald’s.
Provided by McDonald’s, via BI
“There is a strong sense of family and friends in this group,” Elhoffer told BI. “We attended each other’s school dances, weddings, and our parents’ funerals. We raised our children together, celebrated holidays, vacationed together, and have maintained a strong friendship for 50 years. Ta.”
Elhoffer said he started his career at McDonald’s managing the grill area. Then in 1978 he was promoted to deputy assistant manager. Afterwards, he attended Hamburger University, McDonald’s training school, and became a store manager.
Elhoffer said he bought his first restaurant in 1991. She currently owns seven McDonald’s restaurants in the St. Louis area. Seven of the 19 people who attended her reunion went on to become franchisees, and the rest pursued other career paths, such as teaching or accounting, she said.
Provided by McDonald’s, via BI
According to Elhoffer, the biggest change since he started working at McDonald’s is the introduction of a drive-thru. She added that when she first started working at the chain, orders had to be called in by hand and employees had to manually add taxes.