McDonald's Manager wins Prestigious Award

Thirty-six years ago, Stephen Blair started working for McDonalds. He planned to spend about a year there before finishing school and moving on with his career.

“Then the ketchup entered my blood system,” Blair said.

Today, Blair is the manager of the McDonalds on Reservoir Avenue, where he took over in 2007. The restaurant is spotlessly clean and appointed with modern décor. A steady stream of customers roll through the drive-thru and Blair commands a loyal crew.

“I far prefer doing this than sitting at a desk somewhere,” Blair said as he ran three bubbling fryers and scooped an endless stream of French fries into cartons Monday afternoon. “This is far more rewarding.”

That attitude, along with the restaurant’s high sales numbers and stellar customer feedback has earned Blair the prestigious Roy Kroc award this year. He was named one of just 141 recipients this year. With tens of thousands of McDonald’s locations around the globe, only the top 1 percent of managers earn the award and it’s “the cherry on the top of my career,” Blair said.

“Stephen being honored with the coveted Ray Kroc Award is a true testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence, building our business and taking care of our customers’ needs each and every day,” said Steve Walach, Cranston McDonald’s Owner/Operator.   “We are truly proud to have Stephen as part of our McDonald’s family and commend him on this truly amazing accolade.”

Accolades aside, Blair said he couldn’t have done it without the help of his staff. That has been the most meaningful part of his career — watching youngsters grow and flourish over time and playing a role in countless lives.

“I love developing people and watching them grow,” Blair said. “You watch them go through high school, go back through college. I have kids who worked for me that are lawyers, a couple doctors.”

All of his memories are positive ones.

“Especially when you have people you’ve made an impact on or maybe changed their life a little bit for the better,” he said.

With low turnover and loyal employees, Blair runs a well-oiled machine. Last year, the restaurant served 130 cars in one hour.

“That’s more than two cars a minute,” Blair boasted.

The store holds several other records and with about eight out of ten customers going through the drive through, the pace is fast, if not frenetic. But behind the scenes, employees work calmly and coolly and they somehow do it amidst a cacophony of beeping machines.

“This store, for some reason, we matched up well,” Blair said. “There’s a few times in your career where you say ‘this is it. This is me.’”

Each recipient of the annual performance-based award will travel to Chicago in April to be recognized by McDonald’s USA President, Jan Fields.  The recognition comes with a cash prize, a Ray Kroc award trophy, ring and pin.

“Receiving the Ray Kroc Award is definitely a huge honor and without the support of my wife, Maria, and the Walach family, I would not have been able to have this great career or receive this award.” Blair said.