Cover story


“You've got the freedom of being a business owner, but you've got that framework and fantastic brand power – if you're looking to become a franchisee, you want McDonald's to be your business”


For Wrexham-based Emma Williams, this is personal! After all, McDonald’s restaurants, and their values, run in the family


Emma, you’ve two restaurants now, but your path to McDonald’s ownership is a little different isn’t it? Yes! Academically and professionally, I'm in fact from a scientific background. I studied genetics at Cardiff University then a Master's in bioscience and worked in that industry for eight years. As for my partnership with McDonald's, well, because my dad was a franchisee – he got his first one when I was three – I've very much grown up with the brand. My dad’s always spoken really highly


12 | The Franchise Magazine 2027


of his time as a franchisee – it was the family business. So at the back of my mind, I knew it could be something to pursue, but first I wanted to go out and stand on my own two feet, have my own career, establish my skillset. But as I started leading teams in my bioscience role, I knew that these were very relevant, transferable skills that would be applicable to McDonald's. I'd always had an ambition to run my own business, and franchising, and with McDonald's, was a natural progression for me. Then I reached a point where I thought: “Yeah, I'll put my name forward – It's time to go for it!”


So you’re part of The Next Generation? Yes. So, if your parent is a franchisee,


there’s an established process you can go through as potential “next gen” – you go through the full interview process, the same as any external candidate would, but you have a slightly more tailored training programme since you’ve a business in the family you can work in to gain the knowledge you need. As with any recruit, I learned all the


crew roles, the management positions, and then spent six months as a Business Manager – slightly more time than an external candidate – and then 18 months as an Operations Manager in my dad's group of restaurants. This was a really good experience. I also spent time in two other franchised McDonald’s because it was important to get a different perspective,


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