LEADERSHIP CORNER
McDonald's owner has many roles
Interviewed by David Butts
Advertiser Staff Writer
 |
Age: 52
Title: Owner-operator
Company: Grelyn of Hawaii, owns and operates eight of the 11 McDonald's restaurants on Maui.
High School: Magsingal Institute in Ilocos Sur, the Philippines
Breakthrough job: Rosario came to Hawai'i in 1970 at age 18. She was hired for an entry-level "crew" position at the Waiakamilo McDonald's sweeping floors and serving burgers. She went from crew to crew trainer to floor supervisor and then store manager in seven years. Rosario bought her first restaurant in Pukalani, Maui, in June 1990 with a loan from McDonald's.
Little known fact: As a student in the Philippines, she would race her friends after school to fruit trees to see who could climb up to the fruit first.
Major challenge: "People: finding them and managing them."
• • •
Q: Was it difficult to get your first job in Hawai'i, having just arrived from the Philippines?
A: I must have been gutsy then. My cousin said they (the Waiakamilo McDonald's) had just opened. I went up to the counter and asked for an application. They didn't call me for a week. I called them until I got to the manager. I'm sure he goes, "Who is this kid with an accent, just off the boat. Can she even speak English?" They were nice enough to say, "Why don't you come in for an interview?" So I went in. That's how I started.
Q: What made you stick with McDonald's?
A: For me I saw the opportunity. (I thought:) "Wow ... I could be a manager one day." That's what I was looking at. A lot of people now like money. They're not thinking long term. It wasn't like I'm here for the money. Part of it is for the money. Don't get me wrong. I needed to work. I think people need to realize that the money can come later if you just work through the process.
Q: What have you learned about motivating employees?
A: When I used to watch the floor, I never said please. (I said,) "You should sweep because I said so." My managers saw it as my weakness. But that's how I was brought up. They felt I could come across a lot better ... I still could get the job done and my people would be a lot happier (if I used kinder language).
Now I say, "I think it's your turn now. Please, sweep the floor."
Q: Was that hard for you?
A: Yes, that's not my culture. The culture I knew, you were the boss, you tell them what to do. Today you say that to people and it's like, "What? You want me to sweep. Are you kidding me or what? I think I should just go home. Here's my uniform. I'll just go work at Macy's or someplace else." If anything, that was the biggest ... challenge for me.
Q: Have attitudes of workers changed since you started at McDonald's?
A: They don't have the same motivation I had for some reason. It has changed. When I came here, I thought it was such an opportunity to work. Where I came from, you could work, but you have to go in the fields, and it's very hard labor. I was very proud that I had a job.
Today, it's very different. People are ashamed that they are working at McDonald's. They call it flipping burgers. I don't know if they get that from their teachers or kids themselves. They don't have that motivation. The attitude to do a good job is not there. There's a few who have it. But the majority want to have money, but they don't want to work.
Q: Most of your workers are young, about 15 to 17, or seniors, up to age 70. Which group do you find is easier to manage?
A: It depends. The elderly come to work every day. So that's not a challenge for us. But the elderly are also set in their ways. That's a challenge to try to mold them to do the McDonald's system. It's lots of clockwork, like every hour you have to wash your hands.
The challenge for kids is showing up, especially when there is a county fair. They can find all the excuses in the world. "Oh, I forgot to tell you I have to work with my club this week at the fair." And then motivating the younger generation to enjoy what they are doing, so they can serve the customers with smiles, so we have satisfied customers.
Some don't know how to sweep up when we get them. (They say,) "My mom does all that for me." (I say,) "OK, mommy's not here today. Best we start learning how." You become a counselor, a mother, a teacher.
Q: What do you say to your employees about the treatment of customers?
A: The rule that we use is the customers are always right no matter what. In your mind they could be wrong, but, no, they are right. They pay my salary. They give me my paycheck — as long as they can remember that.
Q: What are your thoughts on the issue of obesity? McDonald's often gets blamed for making people fat.
A: McDonald's is working very hard to provide a healthy menu also. We have the salads. We have apple juice for the kids. We are doing our part. There are a lot of customers that are changing their diet. For us to be in business for long, we have to change as our customers change.
Q: McDonald's is seen by many as a dead-end job. How do counter that impression?
A: I can use myself as an example. I tell them my story, and they look at me like, "What? You used to do this." And I say, "Yes, what did you think?" And they say, "That you went to college and found a rich man or inherited money and bought a McDonald's."
I tell them, if today you cannot see yourself in my shoes, just be the best you can be today. It doesn't matter what job you get. It's what you make out of this job.
Q: Many people would think if you own eight McDonald's you could just sit on the beach all day. That isn't the case?
A: That would be nice. I try to keep it to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. People take most of my time. If I did not have to talk to people, counsel, reprimand, life would be so much easier. When it involves people, I need to know what is going on. That's one thing that I don't give up.
Q: What are the most common gripes you hear from employees?
A: That it's hard when people don't come to work. It's hard for the ones that show up consistently.
Q: When do you fire people?
A: That's the hardest part of the job. The one thing that I do not look the other way on is when they give their friends free food. To me there is no excuse for that. The rest — you come to work late — I can look the other way and give them another chance.
Q: Why is firing the hardest part of your job?
A: Because now the person is all of a sudden saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I'll pay you back." But if you did it today, how many did you do before this or what are you going to do after?
Q: Is it difficult to get across the message that giving out free food is not allowed?
A: At first it was, but as long as they see that something is being done about it, people think twice. Is it worth my job for a Big Mac today? And if the answer is, "No, I enjoy what I'm doing, and I'd like for my paycheck to continue," then they don't give out free food.
