For the past 15 years Pedro Carranza has owned and operated 5 McDonald’s restaurants in San Antonio, TX. But his story didn’t start off that way. Pedro is a first generation son of immigrants from Cuba, who’s first language was Spanish. He was a Senior in High School and an avid baseball player getting ready to start college, and he needed to start earning some extra money. His first job was at McDonald’s, he started off at an entry-level position – a Crew Person working in the kitchen. After about a year, Pedro realized that McDonald’s was the place he wanted to be. He decided to leave college and work for McDonald’s full-time. But what he didn’t realize at the time, was that this would be the start of his 40-year relationship with the company.
From the Ground Up
Pedro made his way from Crew Person, all the way up to the Chief Operating Officer for McDonald’s Caribbean to now the Owner/Operator for 5 restaurants for the chain. Pedro’s experience with the company also led him to help open and reopen restaurants all over the U.S., as well as internationally. In fact, he helped open the very first McDonald’s franchise in Mexico City, MX in 1985. He also helped open franchises in other countries like Salvador and Colombia. “Being bilingual helped”, he says, remembering when he first was interviewed for his position as Crew Person, he didn’t realize just how much knowing Spanish would help him in his future career. “Being bilingual has helped me connect with employees and customers from around the world.”.
When asked what his favorite thing about working for McDonald’s was, Pedro said he couldn’t name just one.
Pedro says one of his favorite things is the way that McDonald’s serves not just their customers but also their employees. “McDonald’s has lots of development opportunities for their employees”, he says. “English Under The Arches” is a language program provided to employees who only speak Spanish. It is a self-paced course with the goal of becoming fluent in the English language. “It’s amazing!” he says. “I have seen people go from not speaking any English to being fluent by the time they finish the program.”
Pedro also notes another program that helped him personally. He eventually finished college with a scholarship program provided by McDonald’s for their employees. “Archways to Opportunity” provides McDonald’s employees with tuition help to encourage them to finish college.
Pedro also loves the way McDonald’s serves its customers and community. He says he loves watching customers and seeing smiles on their faces when McDonald’s makes their day. His restaurants serve around 4,000 people per day. That’s a lot of smiles! In addition to serving customers, McDonald’s serves the community by providing and partnering with other local organizations in San Antonio, such as churches, food drives, Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts, schools, fundraisers etc.
Smiles Delivered and Communities Served Program
Pedro was excited to talk about McDonald’s newest campaign called “Smiles Delivered and Communities Served”. It’s a program that is giving back to the local community by using McDonald’s McDelivery to deliver hot meals and bring smiles to the faces of the community. “Giving back to the community is one of the core pillars of McDonald’s business philosophy and part of the company’s heritage. McDonald’s restaurants are more than just a location on a map; they are a part of the fabric of the neighborhood”.
Pedro says that each McDonald’s location gives back and works with organizations within their immediate neighborhood and not all across the city. It’s a way to know that the residents within that community are being served. Supporting neighbors in need through our “Smiles Delivered and Communities Served Program” is just another way to deliver on the brand’s promise to put people first. And it’s a reminder that something as simple as delivering of a hot, comforting meal can go a long way to brighten someone’s day.
When asked why the program’s emphasis is being put on McDelivery he says, “considering that San Antonio’s seating and lobby isn’t open right now, we are only offering drive-thru services and delivery through third-party vendors, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, PostMates. So we feel it’s important for those customers that are used to dining in, to know that they can still enjoy a McDonald’s meal safely”. He said that the local community is getting it too. “Our delivery sales used to be just 1% of customers per day and now we are moving up on that percentage as time goes on”.
How Does McDelivery Work?
So how does McDelivery work? “It’s easy”, he says. You can either order through the McDonald’s Mobile App or directly through one of the McDelivery partners. Once you place your order, it will be sent to the closest restaurant to the delivery destination, ensuring that the meal arrives fast, fresh and hot. All orders are checked for accuracy and packed and sealed in a way that minimizes points of contact, both in restaurants and with delivery drivers.
After trying McDelivery myself, I can tell you that it is safe. McDonald’s has committed to the highest standards of cleanliness, and has implemented significant hygiene measures and are taking the utmost care in adapting their Drive Thru and delivery services to help keep crew members and customers safe.
Pedro’s story has all the ingredients of the American Dream, one’s story of working his or her way up from the bottom, all the way up to the top. And in Pedro’s case, that means being the owner of 5 restaurants in his local community. When asked of him, if there was one last thing he wanted to say, he said he wanted to say a BIG Thank you. “I want to just want to give a big thank you to everyone – to my community, to my employees, to the other franchise owners, just everyone who has helped me along the way. Because when it comes down to it, we are all in it and focused on the same big thing, and that is our customers.”
