When Bill Chao was cleaning the lobby of a McDonald’s in south Vancouver 35 years ago, he never imagined managing one of the iconic fast-food restaurants, let alone owning and operating four of them in Richmond.
Chao was only 20-years-old at the time and was studying computer science at Simon Fraser University, with a view to be working with the aforementioned technology.
But there was one magic ingredient that Chao hadn’t accounted for while working part-time for McDonald’s — people.
And when he came to the first career crossroad in his life, Chao took a chance and threw his apron into the famous burger joint’s management program, much to the chagrin of his parents.
“I was really enjoying working with people and I wasn’t really having much luck getting a job in the computer field,” said Chao, who celebrated his 55th birthday this week with a Halloween party for his staff at his Alderbridge Way, Ironwood, Blundell Centre and now Walmart franchises, the latter of which opened last weekend.
“My manager, Mick, said to me (at the time) that I should enter into the management program. I was still crew at that time. I figured, I didn’t have anything else going on, so why not.
“I thought to myself, I’ll go through this for a couple of years and maybe get some experience of what it’s like to run a business.
“My parents weren’t too happy; my dad was a doctor, my brother was a dentist. But they were still supportive.”
n From West to East and back
However, the moment he embarked on the management program, Chao said it’s clear looking back that there was never any doubt where his future lay.
“I definitely found my niche; I was quickly getting some recognition and promotion in the company, and away I went,” said Chao, who now calls Richmond home.
“I went through the various management ranks from about 1986 to 1998. I managed No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue from 1990 to ’95. In total, I spent about seven years as a manager in different Richmond locations.
“I got promoted to a regional supervisor in 1998 and was there for four years. Then I moved to the national head office in Toronto from 2002 to 2006, where I worked in operations and menus.”
Chao spent a couple of years in Saskatoon, looking after the corporate side of things for the company before his first big jump into the world of ownership.
“In 2008, I became the operator (franchisee) of three locations on the Sunshine Coast; at Gibsons, Sechelt and Powell River,” he said.
“But, in 2014, I had a chance to come back to the Lower Mainland, so I sold the Sunshine Coast restaurants and bought three in Richmond.”
n People are secret to success
Given that he’s now been working for one of the world’s most famous fast-food chains for most of his life, it’s no surprise that Chao has witnessed and experienced many changes in the industry.
But, when asked to point out the single, biggest change, like any good boss, Chao recognizes what his staff bring to the table.
“I think it would be how much my people deal with today, versus when I started out,” he said.
“It never ceases to amaze me the ability of my staff to make all these things on the menu.”
Amid the vast sea of change, Chao also has a keen eye for the constants in his world of operating a small chain of McDonald’s.
“The value. That can’t change. No matter what changes are made on the menu, we still must provide value for money, good service and, above all, cleanliness. Those things have never changed in my 35 years.”
And his secret to longevity in an increasingly challenging and competitive market?
“I found out very quickly that working with people every day has tremendous rewards,” said Chao.
“For some people, that’s not obvious at the beginning, but it was for me. And I realized that I must treat people the way I would like to be treated. That has served me well.
“It wasn’t the career I was looking for, but I loved working with people. You certainly have to be a people-person to succeed at this.”
In case you were wondering, Chao didn’t dress up as a burger for this week’s party, he went as a cat.
