Taking on, not one, but two existing McDonald’s restaurants could be a challenging task for any new franchisee. However, this new franchisee faced the challenge head on to find success and satisfaction while growing both restaurants
By Suzanne Bowness
Before most people understand what franchising is, many are introduced to the concept as children through long-time favourites like McDonald’s, enjoying a Happy Meal and often pestering their parents to return for another meal in the future.
Sangwan Kinkhat, whose family came to Canada from Laos, was no different. “One day I came into a McDonald’s, and I saw the Golden Arches and wondered how people started one. I was eight years old,” she recalls.
Many years later, Kinkhat finally realized her dream of becoming a franchisee of this globally recognized brand, as she took ownership of her own McDonald’s restaurant—or rather two locations, in a suburb of Quebec City. In between her childhood curiosity and today’s reality, she grew up helping her parents run their Asian grocery store and then their family restaurant, assisting with everything from meal prep to administration and later expanding into marketing and management through a CEGEP (Quebec’s public college system). Kinkhat then earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy (a food sciences degree) at Université Laval while continuing to work in the family restaurant, all the while thinking about what she would like to do with her future.
One day, a friend let her know that McDonald’s was looking for new franchisees, and Kinkhat saw this as her opportunity to realize her dream. The rest, as they say, is history—only in Kinkhat’s case, it’s very recent history, as she just became a franchisee in June 2023.
Fitting into a legendary system
Taking over an existing franchise location presents a unique challenge when compared to starting one from scratch. There are existing operational procedures, employees, and customers to understand, and exciting opportunities such as moving into a new community and getting to know your customers. However, in her first year as a franchisee, Kinkhat faced these challenges head-on, drawing on her family restaurant experience and receiving much appreciated support from fellow franchisees and others within the company. She embarked on a nine-month training program where she learned everything about running a McDonald’s restaurant, from making hamburgers to guest service, finance, and management.
The first year was a period of observation, learning, and adaptation to a new environment,” she recalls. There was a lot to familiarize herself with, so she began with small changes. She identified employees who would be a good fit for her management team, allowing them to become more involved and grow within the company. One of Kinkhat’s favourite aspects of owning a McDonald’s is the ability to drive her business to prosper while contributing to the development of her teams.
The first year also involved getting the team accustomed to her leadership style and figuring out what worked best. “We needed to align on our goals as a team to determine the direction we wanted to go,” she explains.
Hiccups along the way
Kinkhat immersed herself in the business, working every day alongside her employees. “I was very present. I would go see people, hold meetings with managers,” says Kinkhat. “I was on the floor, introducing myself, open to being there. We were present every day of the week, and I tried to work and help as much as possible.” As an added bonus, working on the front-lines with her employees provided a good opportunity to help them while getting to know them personally. “In a way, we work together as a family,” Kinkhat notes.
Not all the original employees stayed after Kinkhat took over the locations, and these changes gave her the opportunity to learn their jobs and gain a deeper understanding of all aspects of running a McDonald’s restaurant. For her employees, making mistakes is part of the learning process, but Kinkhat believes it’s even more important for her to learn from them.
While improving sales and service is important, Kinkhat also prioritizes feeding and fostering her community. She enhances customer service by striving every day to create a better guest experience and engages with her local community through various initiatives, such as supporting the local hockey league and donating to local charities, to name a few.
Kinkhat finds immense gratification in her role as a franchisee, especially as it allows her to support the community she serves. However, she acknowledges the challenges that come with the territory. Since she has successfully navigated her first year, she is now in a position to offer valuable advice to aspiring franchisees.
“They need to be ready for all eventualities, as they don’t know where they will find challenges,” she says, adding that it’s important to reach out if you need support. “Everything is new, so you need to ask questions and ask for help when needed. Every decision, no matter how small, is important, and risk management is one of the keys to success.”
Her final piece of advice to those looking to buy their own franchise is to get comfortable getting out of your comfort zone—but also don’t be afraid to take risks, because that’s often where the biggest opportunities lie, as evidenced by Kinkhat’s inspiring story.
Learn more about franchising with McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
