Cover story


Former pilot Sam Akbar has been operating his McDonald’s in Belfast since 2022


You’d carved out successful careers in property, and as a pilot, why pursue becoming a McDonald’s franchisee? I had been thinking about a career change for quite some time and the pandemic really brought it home. After years of jet lag, hotels and missing out on big events in my kid’s lives, I realised I wanted to ground myself (pun intended!) and take more control of my life. I wanted to run my own business but do it with the support of a partner that had a track record of success and a blueprint I could use, just like a pilot’s checklist! Most important was to partner with a brand that shared my values and provided a product or service I used and loved myself. McDonald’s ticked all the boxes. I have always admired the brand and its remarkable global success. McDonald’s dedication to delivering quality products, exceptional service, and maintaining a strong connection with customers and the community resonated deeply with me.


Tell us a little about the training... The training is phenomenal. It’s a commitment from us as potential franchisees and it’s also a commitment from the company because they’re putting the resources and effort into teaching you how to be a franchisee from the ground up, and assessing whether we’ll forge a good partnership. You start as a crew member and you try absolutely everything and progress very, very quickly. Within a couple of months, you’ve gone from a crew member to crew trainer and other roles beyond. Before, I was sat in a cockpit for 10


hours – you don’t move about too much, it’s quite sedentary, and to go from that to such an active role, was a real shock to the system! A good one, though – you get a real sense of coming home from a day’s work and feel you’ve achieved something. You’re learning new things and you’re meeting new kinds of people and being exposed to something completely different – McDonald’s is a very dynamic environment, and a fun one to be a part


12 | The Franchise Magazine 2024


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