Will You McMarry Me? A McDonald's Love Story

On Oct. 16, 1981, a 16-year-old Krista Kaleta arrived for her first day at the Oak Forest McDonald’s and met her supervisor, 19-year-old Tom Attreau—the man who would teach her how to run the grill.

But this wasn’t their first encounter.

“When I first saw him at a McDonald’s football game—Oak Forest McDonald’s vs. Tinley Park McDonald’s— I thought he was a dork! He was wearing ripped-up white sweatpants and a neon orange knit hat!” Krista said, of her first glance at him before she was hired.

“The day I started and he trained me, I was completely smitten with him.”

Their meeting over the grill at the fast-food giant sparked a love story now 30 years strong—the Oak Forest couple returned to the restaurant at 5441 W. 159th St. Monday to mark three decades of marriage and a life together that includes a 28-year-old son Ron, and daughter Amanda, 25.

Krista planned a morning of sweet surprises at the location, including inviting friends and family to share breakfast with them in the moment. Store manager Kelly Sokolowski updated the marquee to show a different daily “special”—”30 Years, Krista and Tom.”

Sokolowski was as smitten with their love story as they are with each other. Lighting up the sign for their big day was just her small way of doing something special for her community.

“This is my job, but this is their community,” she said. ”I really feel like it’s important to give back. They’re the reason I have this job.”

A Letter a Day

Krista and Attreau began dating a month after she came onboard at the restaurant.

“We never broke up ever,” she said.

Attreau proposed on April 7, 1983, when Krista was a senior at Oak Forest High School. Together they stopped into McDonald’s for a celebratory meal. They planned a wedding for June 30, 1984, but as Attreau puts it, ”the Marines said no.”

Attreau left for boot camp the Monday after her senior prom. He was then shipped to Okinawa, Japan, and the two did not see each other for a year—but wrote letters each day they were apart. He returned home on Jan. 15, 1985, and they were married 11 days later. He was 22, she was 19.

Krista still has the sea bags filled with hundreds of letters.

McD’s Memories

The Oak Forest fast-food stop is anything but a place to grab a quick bite for this pair.

It was the first place they stopped to share their news after becoming engaged. On their wedding day, Attreau and the groomsmen went through the drive-thru. On their 10th anniversary, they shared a McDonald’s birthday party cake. And on their 30th wedding anniversary, it was where Krista presented Attreau with a new wedding ring—and asked him to marry her all over again.

Surrounded by friends and family who made it out for the occasion, they dined on coffee and Egg McMuffins.

“I have NOT stopped smiling since!” Krista told friends.

Sokolowski watched as the pair embraced.

“I was absolutely in love with their romantic story,” she said. “You don’t hear about longevity like that with relationships as much as you used to. Hats off to them.”

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