How to become a McDonald's restaurant operator

KUALA LUMPUR: So you want to be a McDonald's franchisee?

Golden Arches managing director Sarah Casanova said for starters, the franchisee must have a passion to be a full-fledged restaurateur.

"You cannot be a silent investor, where you dump in the money and let others handle it for you. It doesn't work that way.

"If you want to invest, go buy McDonald's Corp shares," she remarked.

Casanova said the potential franchisee must undergo train-ing between nine months and a year and only then will the franchisee discover whether the McDonald's lifestyle is for the candidate.

The candidate must be of high integrity, a real people person, with high energy and willing to relocate anywhere in Malaysia and be part of the McDonald's three-leg stool system - McDonald's, supplier and the franchisee. 

"Any one of the leg breaks ... the stool will fall," she said.

For funding, Bumiputera candidates may work with Perbadanan Nasional Bhd for financing, which range between RM1.8 million to as high as RM6.5 million, depending on location.

As a general guide, no less than 30 per cent of the cost must be funded from non-borrowed personal resources while the 70 per cent can be sourced from Perbadanan Nasional Bhd or local banks.

Casanova said Golden Arches currently has 17 franchisees owning 35 resturants in 2011. 

For 2012 it targets five new franchisees, and ultimately by 2016, out of the 400 outlets, half will be operated by franchisees.

Starting with its first McDonald's outlet in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Golden Arches currently operates 84 McDonald's delivery services hubs and employs 11,000 workers.

Source: How to become a McDonald's restaurant operator http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/casnov2/Article/index_html#ixzz1kM0Bstwh