By Jake Dowling, Ada Icon intern
“They say that we have ketchup in our veins.” That is how Jonathan Lewis, manager of McDonald’s in Ada describes his family’s involvement with quarter pounders and Big Macs.
“It has always been a passion of mine to work for the McDonald’s family,” he says.
Lewis, a 2007 graduate of Bluffton High School, and spring 2011 graduate at Miami (Ohio) with a bachelor’s in finance, has always been a part of the McDonald’s family.
Ever since he was in high school, Lewis was a crew member in Beaverdam and remained a crew member when he went to college.
“I starting working at McDonald’s in high school,” he says. “Then I left there and worked for a different operator when I went to college. After college, I came here and worked my way up in my training to become a manger.”
Lewis’ ultimate goal is to follow his father’s footsteps and become an operator. His uncle and father have both been operators for McDonald's. His father, Jerry today owns up to 17 restaurants, overseeing over 900 employees.
Lewis’ father and uncle worked together in the eastern part of Ohio, from there, his faather wanted to go out on his own. So he had an opportunity to build a store in Bluffton, which he did in 1988, and built another one in Delphos in 1989-90, and has expanded ever since.
“My father is an operator of McDonald's and my goal is to be an operator someday, too,” he says. “Part of the process is being a restaurant manager for at least a year; I could be here for two years or three years depending on McDonald’s Corp. I’ve always wanted to walk in his footsteps,” Lewis says.
His sister is also the manager of McDonald’s in Bluffton. Thus, creating a little friendly sibling rivalry, as well.
“But at the end of the day, we’re all moving toward the same goal,” Lewis says. As for now, Lewis loves being in Ada.
“I love it here,” he says. “I am able to connect with customers and the community. “It’s always great to get the chance to sit down with our customers and talk to them when I can.”
Lewis, who works around 65 hours a week and oversees around 50 employees, says he loves everything about McDonald’s in Ada.
“First off, the crews and managers are outstanding, I definitely have to give the credit to them,” he says. “Secondly, I love small town, I grew up in Bluffton, so I’m used to that small town mentality where everybody knows everybody.”
Lewis has larger goals in the future, however.
“I married my high school sweetheart last year after college, and I hope to start a family soon,” Lewis says. “And I hope they can continue the family tradition in the McDonald’s family.”
His uncles built one or two McDonald’s restaurants, his father is the current operator and he and his sister are currently managers of two area McDonald’s. So for Lewis, there is only one way to some it all up.
“We just have ketchup in our veins,” he says.
