Woman works way up golden arches

MISSOULA – Kyong Kapalczynski got her start at a McDonald’s here at the very bottom – making biscuits in the kitchen and doing just about every chore that needed to be done.

Today, after 10 years of grunt work and making her way through the company’s management school, Kapalczynski is the boss: She just bought all four Missoula McDonald’s restaurants owned by James Brannum.

“This is a huge opportunity for anybody,” said Kapalczynski. “You can be an owner-operator. You can be a restaurant consultant. I see opportunity.”

Kapalczynski moved to Missoula in 1995 with her husband, who was transferred to the city as a U.S. Army recruiter. She had worked at a McDonald’s in Maryland previously and, when it came time to find a job in Missoula, she immediately went to one of the local restaurants.

Kapalczynski started at the bottom of the pecking order and slowly advanced her way up – to shift manager and assistant store manager.

“I did everything. I made salads. I washed dishes. I mopped the floor,” she said.

McDonald’s was perfect for her, she said. She liked the flexibility of the various shifts. It allowed her time with her three children.

Then, in 1999, under Brannum’s mentoring, she began her education at Hamburger University, McDonald’s corporate school based in suburban Chicago. She loved it. They helped Kapalczynski, a native of South Korea, improve her English and taught her how to manage a restaurant.

“I was educated by McDonald’s,” she said.

In 2000, the family moved to Oregon, and Kapalczynski again went to work at a McDonald’s – again starting at the very bottom. But it didn’t take long until she was a store manager and continuing her education at Hamburger U. She won numerous awards for Oregon and the Northwest. Eventually, she bought her first McDonald’s restaurant.

Last year, Kapalczynski began talking to Brannum, who was interested in selling his Missoula restaurants. Kapalczynski’s husband, who retired as a first sergeant, loved the idea of returning home to Montana.

McDonald’s encourages rank-and-file employees who want to become owners, said spokeswoman Katie Lindstrom. The company has about 30,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries and about 438,000 employees.

With help and some major loans, she put together a business plan and bought the Missoula franchise.

It’s no simple task to take over four restaurants with 165 employees.

She has taken out an additional loan to buy new equipment, such as a beverage system, dishwashers and security cameras to keep her employees safe.