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are comfortable and they are able to chase their own dreams and ambitions. And I know that if I am able to create financial security or freedom for them, they can do whatever it is they want. I want the world to be their oyster. So I think that that motivation comes
from wanting to build this legacy for my family, wanting to do right by them. My partner has been really supportive of this journey, right from day one, when I said: “Listen, I want to become a McDonald’s franchisee” her support has been incredible.
What values do you think a potential McDonald’s franchisee should have? I think it’s important to value ‘community’ and ‘family’ as part of your business. Whether you’re supporting a charity,
or engaging with councillors to ensure the community remains clean, whether you’re recruiting local people, giving them opportunities – all those are always going to be important. At the moment, my restaurant sponsors a local under-12s football club. I go and watch their games – I award Man of the Match! So, I’d say a franchisee that prioritises the community is on their way to success. That’s vital. As for ‘family’ it’s about looking after
your people, making sure there is this ‘family feel’ in your stores when people come to work on a day-to-day basis and that they feel safe, they feel respected, they feel included. In my view, those are two of the key
values that McDonald’s really look out for in people, in their franchisees, who are the ambassadors of the brand. They prioritise people that will look after the community and will look after their people. The one thing that I’ll say to anyone
thinking of franchising is that it’s a lot of hard work! There’s a lot of dedication and sacrifice. Running a business is quite challenging. But really it’s about aligning your values, making sure you’re in it for the right things and being prepared to go on that journey of dedication and hard work to get the end results.
What’s been the highlight so far? A cliché, but true – it was getting that call [to say he’d passed the final stage of the selection process] … such an
22 | The Franchise Magazine 2025
emotional rollercoaster! The process – from application, all the way to getting the go-ahead – took about 11 months … It’s a rigorous process: interviews, questionnaires, background checks … So, the day the call came through and McDonald’s said: “Joe, you’ve been successful!” I was in tears! That validation is superb, it’s immense! Now that’s a highlight! The other high point has been sponsoring the local kids’ football team and seeing them play. It’s a good feeling, that I make an impact by supporting them. I think about how my personal journey has been so far, coming into the UK with next to nothing and building everything from scratch and creating a future for myself and my kids. It’s a life-changing journey, it’s really powerful. In fact, to be honest, in so far as anything that happens from now onwards, I’ll be incredibly happy about it! It’s a very exciting future ahead.
What’s it like being a part of a network? The application process puts you in contact with a really good blend of franchisees, at all different stages ... It’s great getting to
witness them on their journey or see how they’ve made it, the challenges that they went through Every franchisee I’ve engaged with has
been extremely supportive of my journey. They want to help. They want to contribute, to check in and make sure that I’m doing well, that I have all the things necessary to succeed. It’s an incredible network … I call it a very exclusive club. There’s just under 200 franchises in the whole of the UK & Ireland, but every one of them that I have been in touch with has been really supportive, keen to help, eager to support my team as well. McDonald’s does a really good job of
bringing together individuals that want to support one another to grow … it’s really amazing to see and to hear about it, and see that in action. I know that if another franchisee is
successful, then I am too – it’s the brand that we all protect and the brand that we all grow within as well … we all want every other franchisee succeed, because we know that it supports our business as an entirety. It’s a case of the sum of the whole being greater than the parts. n
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