EMILY STEWART
The person behind the St. Marys McDonalds recently received an internationally recognized award in honour of McDonalds co-founder Roy Kroc.
Local McDonalds manager Jordan Bucht earned the Roy Kroc Award for his excellence in management at the St. Marys McDonalds. The Roy Kroc award is given to the top one per cent of McDonalds restaurant managers from around the world. Bucht is one of the 398 recipients across 70 markets.
“It's definitely an honour and it just feels good to be recognized for the work that I've done,” Bucht said.
He enjoys interacting with his staff in the kitchen and the customers in the dining lounge.
“McDonalds has a lot of development opportunities, so it's really good to watch people grow and learn different skills and being part of that,” he said. “I’m currently taking on a new role as a supervisor, so I get the opportunity to now oversee the employees at five restaurants, which is a great honour as well."
Bucht’s main reason for receiving the Roy Kroc award was for opening the St. Marys McDonalds location during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a difficult time for the hospitality industry.
"I was just able to fully staff the restaurant in a challenging time when they told me I would have challenges, but also retaining that crew,” he said. “A lot of the staff that I have at the St. Marys restaurant are the same that started with me two years ago when we opened."
In addition to the St. Marys restaurant, Bucht opened another location in Lucan. So far, Lucan residents have been supportive and are thrilled to have McDonalds in their town.
“They're definitely excited to have that,” Bucht said. “A lot of these small towns are excited to have something more than a pizza shop."
Bucht is thankful for St. Marys residents for being helpful and welcoming from the time when he was first recruiting employees.
"The community has been super supportive from day one and continues to be, so I would just say thank you to them for everything they've done,” he said.
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