“I can honestly say that working with McDonald’s, has been the best 10 years”
Originally from Aberdeen, Carol Rogerson drew on her vast experience in customer service and organisational development to join the franchise network with her first restaurant in Suffolk, just over a decade ago. By the end of 2024, Carol will oversee a portfolio of 20 stores running the length of East Anglia.
Originally from Aberdeen, you moved over the border and down to south east England for work and now run McDonald’s restaurants across East Anglia – how did all that come about? I was managing director of a customer service business with 14 call centres … the business was at a crossroads, and I decided to exit at that time and do something of my own. Somebody talked to me about McDonald’s and the franchise model. In fact, it had been on my radar for a while, but I always assumed financially, for me, it would probably be out of reach (plus, I wasn’t even sure if I could do it!). So to find out for certain I went along to an open day, met representatives from McDonald’s, listened to presentations, spoke to a franchisee … I remember going home that night and saying to the family: “I think I’ve
started to fall in love with this business!” That was about 11 years ago and I’ve been
a franchisee now for 10. My first restaurant was in Great Yarmouth, so I commuted back and forth for a while. And then I bought another restaurant in Beccles in Suffolk. And then, after a couple of years, McDonald’s approached me asking if I’d consider selling those two restaurants and instead buying a portfolio of units from a franchisee of 30 years’ standing who was retiring ... which I did! Since they were based all in this area – from Bury St Edmunds to Felixstowe and everything in between, specifically in Ipswich – I thought to myself : “I’d better go and live in Suffolk!” So I relocated … and I’ve never looked back!
It sounds as if you’ve been able to grow the business at speed! I’ve been lucky that these opportunities have arisen where I’m based. In 2022, McDonald’s approached me again. This time about buying 10 restaurants from a
retiring franchisee who’d been in the system for 40 years. I had, myself, been in the workforce for a while when I started with McDonald’s and even at the time, wondered whether they’d realistically consider me, had I left it too late to join? But I can honestly say it’s been the best 10 years.
And you’ve spent it in a very beautiful part of the world, too! Yes, it is! I’m very blessed because I’ve got a restaurant in beautiful Bury St Edmunds – a lovely cathedral town, which is stunning. I’ve got a restaurant in Felixstowe with a lovely beach with one of the longest promenades in the country, it’s absolutely stunning. And then I go all the way out to beautiful Swaffham. And so, yes, I am busy, but I absolutely love the business. I’ve really enjoyed this last 10 years …
I don’t even feel like it’s work anymore! Of course, it is work, and I work a lot because I love the business. But I’ve got a fantastic team of people that I work with.
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