The secret of my success: Chester franchisee juggles business, motherhood – and Big Macs

Aug 11 2011 by Allison Dickinson, Chester Chronicle

THE chances are, if you live in Chester, you or someone you know has eaten in one of Jeanette Roe’s restaurants.

Jeanette is a McDonald’s franchisee and, having taken over the Foregate Street branch in June, now owns all of the city’s three outlets.

Jeanette, from Houghton-le-Spring in Northumberland, has a masters degree in Economics and started with the company in 1981.

She was due to start working in London but her boyfriend, Steve, who she met at university, was offered a job as a trainee accountant in his home town of Nottingham and suggested she should apply for a role based at the new restaurant in Derby.

Jeanette said: “The company were expanding into the Midlands at that time so, even though I thought it was a bit cheeky, they agreed.

“I started as a trainee manager in October and by the following June I was manager of the Nottingham restaurant.”

Within two years, Jeanette was an area manager – and she and Steve were married and settled in Winsford.

“It was a really exciting time,” she remembered.

“McDonald’s was opening 100 restaurants a year – at one stage, we were opening one a week.”

Looking at the differences in the business today, Jeanette remembered opening at 11.30am, there was no breakfast, no chicken products and they had to campaign to sell tea.

She said; “I was lucky because they were looking for graduates who could get in there and move through the ranks quickly. Many of us who started at that time are now franchisees.”

Jeanette was soon drafted in to be a regional training manager and gained the Institute of Personnel Development Training qualification through the company.

She was asked to head up the national training and HR but was unable to take the position after becoming pregnant with twins.

She said: “I said that by the time the boys started school, I wanted to become a franchisee. They started school in 2001 and I took on two of the Chester stores – Chester Retail Park and Northgate Street – a month later.

“Chester is such a beautiful city and when I was looking around and thinking where I would like to work there is nowhere better in the area.

“It is a beautiful city and in the last five years it is really starting to develop a strong vision for the future.”

Jeanette took over the Foregate Street restaurant in June.

“It’s a real up and coming area with the new shop openings including a new Waitrose.

“There are definitely more visitors to Chester than ever and that whole area is really positive. We are marketing Chester better as well.”