Part of the community

For the MacWhirter family, McDonald’s is more than just a restaurant

North Bay area McDonald’s Owner/Operator Colin MacWhirter grew up in the McDonald’s family.

His father, Dan, started working at McDonald’s in 1975 and, 10 years later, he was a General Manager.

When it was time for Colin to get his first job, McDonald’s seemed like a natural fit. He was hired right off the interview—until it was discovered that he was too young! Colin completed training when he turned 14.

After college, Colin started his career in the technology field, but McDonald’s was always on his mind. “He had a collection of McDonald’s memorabilia,” says Dan. “The McDonald’s family had always been a part of his life; you could see it was something he wanted to do.”

A few years ago, Colin decided to start the qualification process to become an Owner/Operator and, after two years, a market in North Bay and Sturgeon Falls became available to him. Colin, his wife, Vanessa, their two boys, Bohdi and Casper, and his father, Dan, all moved to North Bay to start their new franchise. Today, Colin owns three restaurants in North Bay and one in Sturgeon Falls.

Colin’s family is an integral part of his business. Dan is in charge of community events and fundraising. Vanessa takes care of marketing and social media—on top of having a full-time job outside of the restaurant.

Community involvement is very important to this family, who try to incorporate giving back into everything they do.

“We do a toy drive, we deliver egg McMuffins and coffees to local hospital staff and, of course, we do tons of fundraising around McHappy Day,” says Dan. “We’re not just a restaurant, we’re a part of the community.”

For the MacWhirter family, supporting families at RMHC Toronto is a point of pride.

“When people find out what I do and who I work for,” says Dan, “I’m amazed at how many of them say they’ve stayed at the House, or they’ve used one of the Family Rooms. They’re so grateful, so I feel good about that.”

Thank you, Colin, Vanessa, and Dan, for supporting the community, as well as for the fundraising efforts of your staff and crew.

To find out more about the incredible support of our Owner/Operator community, please visit: Our McDonald’s Relationship.