Maja Nuyt and the Fort Macleod McDonald’s staff watch as Pierre Nuyt cuts the ribbon Wednesday to officially open the restaurant.
With the snip of a large pair of scissors the ribbon was cut Wednesday to officially open the new McDonald’s restaurant in Fort Macleod.
McDonald’s franchisees Pierre and Maja Nuyt welcomed guests to their restaurant for a grand opening ceremony.
The guests were treated to free food, drinks and cake from the state-of-the-art kitchen to mark the opening of the restaurant.
“I think there is a lot of opportunity to develop our franchise in Fort Macleod,” Pierre Nuyt said. “The population is good, the traffic is very good.”
Nuyt brings extensive experience with McDonald’s to Fort Macleod, having started with the corporation as a part-time 19-year-old employee 34 years ago.
Nuyt has worked for McDonald’s in France, Italy, Chicago and Canada.
“I always tell people if you want to work and travel, work for McDonald’s,” Nuyt said with a laugh.
Pierre and Maja met while working for McDonald’s, and opened a franchise together in Lennoxville, Que.
Fifteen years ago they moved west to Alberta, and now own seven McDonald’s franchises in Lethbridge and one in Pincher Creek.
The new Fort Macleod restaurant is an important link.
“When you own a franchise like McDonald’s, synergy is important,” Nuyt said. “It’s important to have good connections between them when they need help with staff and food supplies.”
In a brief speech before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Pierre Nuyt thanked his staff.
“Special thanks to my team behind me, because without them it’s impossible to run a restaurant,” Nuyt said.
On opening night, the McDonald’s restaurant had 45 employees from Fort Macleod, with a few more who came from Lethbridge to help with the grand opening.
“We hope to get to around 60 employees from Fort Macleod, so that’s very exciting to us,” Nuyt said.
Nuyt also praised the Town of Fort Macleod and its staff for assistance in getting the restaurant established.
“We had a lot of help from the town to get this restaurant open,” Nuyt said.
The McDonald’s restaurant at 2360 Seventh Ave. is centrally located with easy access from both the east- and westbound one-ways.
“I think it’s nice for McDonald’s to have a restaurant that is right on the highway, that is accessible to all travellers,” said Brandy McDonald, operations manager for Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and Pincher Creek.
The restaurant has six curbside mobile stalls, allowing users to pre-order their meals from the McDonald’s app and wait in their vehicles while a crew member prepares and delivers their order.
The restaurant has a unique children’s play area that consists of a table with an interactive colouring element.
There are three public washrooms including a dedicated family washroom.
McDonald’s is a one-minute walk away from six electric vehicle charging stations.
Maja Nuyt and the Fort Macleod McDonald’s staff watch as Pierre Nuyt cuts the ribbon Wednesday to officially open the restaurant.
A special cake was prepared for the grand opening Wednesday of Fort Macleod’s new McDonald’s restaurant.
