Zulfikar Somji became a McDonald’s franchisee in 2001 and since then has expanded his business and now runs seven restaurants in east London.
“I’ve always run my own business – a string of shoe shops in London’s West End. Funny enough, I saw how busy McDonald’s were during the last economic downturn. I was impressed and, although I looked at others, McDonald’s was my first port of call because I saw how meticulous everything was. The systems, the support, the way they listen to you and their foresight – it all adds up. I wouldn’t go back to Oxford Street now.”
“Certainly, you’ve got to be committed and work hard – I’ve been able to expand because I’ve been on hand watching and reacting – At my 24 hour restaurant I’ve regularly worked overnight. Your people skills have to be good too because I have 65 staff in just one store alone and my restaurants serve around 1400 customers every day. What counts is that McDonald’s is there to give you the support you need, the company is consistently pro-active and keeps one-step ahead of everyone. If you’ve got the business know-how, you grow. I’ve seen it for myself.”
Ismailimail 