They’d never met before but 16-year-old Tony knew instantly that Mina, 14, was the one for him, smitten as soon as he laid eyes on her. Their relationship developed over the burgers and fries, and four years later they married.
“When I saw her at the interview I thought, ‘I’m going to marry that girl’,” Tony says. “She had a great smile, great personality and I just knew she was the one.”
Tony also fell in love with McDonald’s and never left. He worked his way from crew member to team leader, then through management ranks once he finished high school, and at 32 became the licensee of his own restaurant, McDonald’s Padstow.
Today, he and Mina own and operate five McDonald’s restaurants in the area including Padstow, Punchbowl, Menai, Lakemba, and Milperra.
This month, the couple that the local community often refer to as Mr and Mrs McDonald’s are preparing to mark another big milestone in their journey with the company – the 50th anniversary of the Punchbowl restaurant they’ve owned since 2001. They’re inviting customers to join the celebration on Saturday, August 10 when there will be free Big Macs with every purchase*, a visit from Ronald McDonald and lots of family fun.
The restaurant was the 23rd McDonald’s store built in Australia and also happens to be the store where Tony first took on a management role when he was 18. Significantly, it was also the first Australian McDonald’s restaurant to offer halal menu options, a move spearheaded by the Favottos when they took it over. Their Lakemba McDonald’s also offers halal menu options, as do 20 other McDonald’s restaurants around Australia.
Supporting their local community has always been a key priority whether it’s employing and mentoring the thousands of young people who have worked for them through the years, sponsoring local sporting clubs or supporting charities. Over the past 20 years, the Favottos have raised more than $500,000 for charities including the one closest to their heart, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). As well as supporting RMHC financially, they give their staff the opportunity to get involved by cooking meals and volunteering at Ronald McDonald House Westmead.
“From the start our customers were amazing, the community embraced us then and have done ever since, so we always wanted to give back as much as we could,” said Mina.
“One of the wonderful things is that we own the restaurants, we run the restaurants and our customers know us, they know we live in the local area and we are able to support it 100 per cent.”
Tony remains as passionate about the businesses today as when he had the opportunity to become a licensee with his goal to make it the “best restaurant we could”. You’ll still find him – and Mina – working alongside their teams in the restaurants.
“Once you get bitten by McDonald’s that’s it,” said Tony, who Mina believes has “ketchup in his veins”.
“To run great restaurants, you have to be present for your staff and customers to make sure operations are running smoothly, everyone has the support they need and we’re providing the best possible customer experience. We love spending time with our teams and you’ll often find us jumping in and doing what needs to be done, whether it’s serving customers in the drive-thru or making coffees.
“I loved it because it’s a dynamic business, it’s always evolving, and plus they have great family values. I know McDonald’s is a burger business but it’s actually more a people business and that’s where I get a lot of satisfaction – developing people and seeing them grow.
“We’ve had so many people who’ve been with us for many years – my general manager started with me as a crew person when she was 15 and now runs our five restaurants, and our breakfast manager at McDonald’s Punchbowl has been with us for 24 years and is so well known by our customers and community. And we’ve made so many friends – we still have friends from when Mina and I started as crew.”
Join Tony and Mina to celebrate McDonald’s Punchbowl’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, 10 August from 12pm – 5pm.
*Terms and conditions apply.
* Sponsored content by McDonald’s.
