McDonald’s Saipan reached another milestone yesterday and they have the community to thank for helping them celebrate 17 years of “serving customers hot, fresh, nutritional food in a fast, friendly atmosphere.”
Some companies celebrate anniversaries every five or 10 years, but not for McDonald’s Saipan president and owner Joe Ayuyu and his wife Marcia.
For the couple, every year is a reason to celebrate and to share the blessings with the people who made their existence possible.
Rewind
Adjust your time machines back to 1993 when Ayuyu heard that McDonald’s was going to open a franchise on Saipan. He submitted an application together with other businessmen who were interested but he was lucky to be chosen.
Who would have thought that the friendly and jovial man who is always sporting a built-in McDonald’s smile is an expert at flipping burgers and frying fries?
If you think that Joe Ayuyu only sits in his office whole day and reads journals or stare into space making plans to expand his business, you’re dead wrong.
Ayuyu got his formal training from the Hamburger University in Hawaii as one of the requirements of franchising.
McDonald’s marketing officer Ana Olaes said that, he always saw Ayuyu filling in as crew when customers are plenty.
“You should see him filling orders for French fries. He’s very adept at it,” Olaes said.
“When he’s in the kitchen, he is not our boss but just one of the crew who helps to rush the orders,” she added.
The birth of McDonald’s Saipan entailed huge sacrifices for the Ayuyu family.
Mrs. Ayuyu said when her husband went to the Hamburger University, he left her with her child. After Joe Ayuyu finished his training, it was Mrs. Ayuyu’s turn and this time, she said that they had to make major sacrifices for the business.
“We had to sell our house here and move to a cramped apartment on Guam as I worked at the McDonald’s fast food chain,” she said.
Mrs. Ayuyu learned the basics of running the business as a food crew and all-around staff. She observed and absorbed the techniques of how McDonald’s hosts parties and events, how orders are filled and all aspects of the fast-food business.
After a year, the family returned to Saipan and McDonald’s Middle Road outlet was born.
Mrs. Ayuyu said the most challenging times were the first years when the business was taking its first baby steps.
She recalls long lines of people and cars waiting to be served every day as the food crew were still learning the ropes of the trade.
“We started with about a hundred food crew. We sent staff to Guam for training, and at other times we invite staff from Guam outlets to come here and conduct training,” Mrs. Ayuyu said.
Customers too were undergoing adjustments, taking so long to order at the drive thru section because they were not yet familiar with the menu.
Mrs. Ayuyu said a lot of changes have happened at the fast-food chain over the years. They opened the Garapan outlet a few years after to serve customers on a 24-hour basis.
McDonald’s Saipan’s secret of success lies in the whole package — modern and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, well-trained staff, and excellent customer service.
Fast forward
17 years later, McDonald’s Saipan still has sparkling, clean and well-maintained buildings “as though the building was built yesterday.”
Despite the harsh economic situation, Mrs. Ayuyu said they have been able to keep their head above water.
McDonald’s Saipan has come a long way from its humble beginnings.
“17 years is a long way and we are very glad to still be here. We hope to be here for more years,” she said.
They are now looking at plans to expand with additional outlets in the future.
Made for you
Gone are the days when McDonald’s has to prepare food items in bulk such as burgers, fries and others and just hand them to the customers upon ordering.
Cashiers don’t have to recite each order via the intercom to inform the kitchen crew what to prepare.
“We make your orders and serve it within minutes to ensure the freshness of the food,” Olaes said.
This means that your food will be prepared only when give your order at the front counter. You can be assured that the burger was not prepared five hours ago and stacked.
McDonald’s is equipped with kitchen video systems where the orders pop up on screen as soon as the cashier punches your order.
Olaes said McDonald’s always gives something free with every order — a smile.
“If you don’t get a free McDonald’s smile, this means you’re shortchanged. Call the office to complain and you will get a double dosage of smiles from us,” Olaes jested.
Loyal employees
The Ayuyu couple never fails to recognize the joint effort of the company’s staff and crew whom they owe the success of the business operations.
“We treat our employees as family members and we go out of our way to know them,” Mrs. Ayuyu said.
“I’ve got a bunch of good, trustworthy and reliable people so I can sleep well at night.”
LOIDA SABNAL (Area manager,Garapan)
WORKING behind the success and smooth flow of the daily operations of the McDonald’s outlet in Garapan is a lady who has been with the company a month before it officially opened in 1993.
Loida Sabanal works with her co-managers in training newly hired crew but in overseeing the whole operations.
She first came to Saipan in 1991, worked as administrative assistant in another firm for a while before joining the yet-to-be opened McDonald’s Saipan in February 1993.
Like the other “pioneer’ employees at McDonald’s Saipan, Sabanal saw the company grow and attain the success that it is enjoying now.
Sabanal said that adjusting with the fast-paced changes in food trends of the customers is one challenge that they have to face.
“We cannot allow ourselves to stay behind the times and work like we used to when McDonald’s Saipan first opened. We have to get join new training to get updated on what’s the latest in the industry,” Sabanal said.
The other challenge that every employee and crew at the McDonald’s Saipan strive to meet is to provide excellent customer service.
“This may not be very easy because our customers come from all walks of life and we know we cannot please everybody but we go out of our way to meet the customer’s needs,” Sabanal said.
At McDonald’s Saipan, Sabanal said each employee treats each other as family.
“Our employers treat us like we are members of his family, too and that helps a lot in easing the pressures of everyday life,” she said.
Sabanal, an accounting major, said she never envisioned herself working in the food industry before but she has come to love her job.
“Every day is a challenge and a learning process. We continue to grow and keep up with the standards and procedures of the company,” she said.
She cannot imagine working for another company anymore because she has fallen deeply in love with her current job.
SERGS ACHAS (Area Manager, Garapan)
HE started as a maintenance crew when McDonald’s Saipan first opened at the Middle Road outlet in 1993.
The Ayuyu couple saw his dedication and hard work and promoted him from crew to supervisor/area manager until today.
Sergs Achas was with McDonald’s Saipan since its opening. He was with the fast-food chain from its infancy, witnessed the store taking its first tottering steps and saw it attain success and become a household word 17 years later.
Achas works with his fellow area managers training the staff and seeing that the Garapan outlet’s day to day operations flow smoothly.
He said the crew at the Garapan outlet is challenged with the limited space and 24-hour operation but they still cope with it.
Looking back, Achas said McDonald’s Saipan has undergone a lot of changes — all for the better through the years.
“Before, the kitchen equipment are not as modern as now, and we have to prepare food like burgers, fries, pies and others ahead and stack them because it takes a long time to prepare the food,” he said.
Now, the food outlet keeps its “Made for You” maxim and prepares the food only when an order is made to ensure freshness.
Achas shares the workload with the other area managers in the Garapan branch and works on a rotating shift. Currently, he goes to work from 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. three days a week, and takes the morning shift for two days a week.
As manager, he ensures that everything goes smoothly during his shift. He works with five or six crew to ensure that excellent customer service is being followed.
Achas said working at McDonald’s Saipan is very rewarding.
“We get very useful training in all aspects of the business. We learn many new things every day, especially in dealing with customers with diversified nationalities,” he said.
He considers his employers as his second set of parents.
“They treat us all like family members, I guess that is why most of the workers stay on for years,” he said.
Achas plans to stay with McDonald’s Saipan for as long as he is needed.
MARISSA OBTINALLA (Accountant)
The image of a typical office girl wearing formal office attire and working with balance sheets and accounting books is what Marissa Obtinalla’s childhood dreams were made of.
Now, instead of the typical office girl attire complete with blazer, short skirt and high- heeled shoes, she reports to work in slacks, sandals and shirt but her dream of working with balance sheets, accounting books and anything involving numbers came true.
Obtinalla joined the McDonald’s Saipan as an accountant in October 1998. Keeping a low profile, Obtinalla juggles the numbers behind the company’s operations — including ordering of products and supplies from the states, update the “big boss” of food costing, inventory of stocks and supplies, and balancing the books.
Obtinalla said it is her second job on island but working at McDonald’s Saipan is a wonderful experience that never bores her.
“When you love what you are doing, time flies fast,” she said.
Working with Joe Ayuyu is like going to school all over again.
“He is a very detail-oriented employer who has very sharp business acumen and knows every aspect of the business,” she said.
Ayuyu is the kind of employer who will correct you if you are wrong, but taps you on the shoulder for appreciation when you do right, she added.
“He is like a father, a teacher, and instructor to all of us and he treats everyone like a member of the family. I guess that’s why so many of the employees stay for long,” Obtinalla said.
McDonald’s Saipan is a happy workplace and the relationship of the workers with each other is good, she added.
Obtinalla said that as long as the management still wants her, she will stay with the company.
“It’s been 12 wonderful years but I want to stay on longer.”
EMMA IRIARTE (Cashier/Food Crew)
ONE year ago, Emma Iriarte got a call informing her that she was hired for her first real job at McDonald’s Saipan.
She had no idea back then how long she was going to stay but stay she did, not aware not she had come to love the work up to a point of considering McDonald’s as her second home.
Iriarte joined McDonald’s Saipan in March 29 last year and she has grown a lot over the past few months.
I’m thrilled to be working at McDonald’s because I learned a lot of lessons that I know would be useful in the future,” Iriarte said.
She added that the work place and the camaraderie she enjoys with her co-workers add to the excitement of going to work everyday.
“I consider every working day as a challenge to be faced. Sometimes it’s not easy especially during the rush hour where you have to be fast and not keep customers waiting, but still we manage to smile,” Iriarte said.
“The McDonald’s smile is free on the menu and has to be practiced at first, but later on when you get to master it, you will discover that it comes naturally and you feel better smiling at people,” she said.
Like the other young employees, this 19-year old mom divides her time between her work which start at 6:15 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and her family.
Iriarte has not shelved her dreams of becoming a teacher because she is planning to return to school in the future.
KRISHNA PIOL (Admistrative Assistant)
THE newest employee to join the administrative team of McDonald’s Saipan is Krishna Piol, a young mother of two children who shows that family and career can be juggled together successfully if you know how to manage your time.
Piol owns the charming face behind the counter when you enter McDonald’s main office or behind the cash register at the Chalan Pale Middle Road outlet early in the morning.
She joined the McDonald’s Saipan family on July 23, 2008 and has found the job fulfilling and satisfying.
Prior to her current job, Piol had been a waitress at the Pacific Islands Club then decided to continue her studies at Northern Marianas College for two semesters.
But she discovered that balancing the daily pressures of being a student is more stressful.
She found her way to McDonald’s Saipan after convincing herself that working more enjoyable and satisfying, not to mention getting a regular paycheck.
“Working at McDonald’s is exciting and fun. The work atmosphere and working relationship with my employer, office mates and co-workers is good,” Piol said.
She starts her working day at 8:30 in the morning assisting in the fast food as cashier, or fill in if the need for crew arises.
“Starting work at the store with the other food crew helps me to get a better understanding of what goes on at the store,” Piol said.
When off from work, Piol said she enjoys quality time with her two children aged five and one.
Piol said she enjoys the challenges at work, especially meeting new people every day and learning about new products.
This 21-year-old administrative assistant still has dreams of picking up and finishing her studies one day, but not for the present.
“Although I enjoyed working more than studying, I would advise the young people to study hard and stay in school but still have fun while you’re young,” Piol said.
She learned a lot from her employer who is like a teacher to them all.
“Our boss taught us many things in business and in life and I value the knowledge that he imparts. I enjoy my stay here,” she said.
EMMANUEL VITAL (Maintenance/Electrician)
SEVENTEEN years ago, he was tasked to do the electrical works at McDonald’s Middle Road outlet which was undergoing construction.
McDonald’s president and owner Joe Ayuyu saw his work beneath the rolls of electrical wirings and tools and decided to hire him.
Emmanuel Vital quit his job at the construction company and went home to Tarlac, a a province north of Manila in the Philippines. A few weeks later, Ayuyu fetched him and brought his working papers. Seventeen years later, Vital is still working for McDonald’s Saipan and is here to stay “for as long as they need my services.”
Vital is one of the few pioneer employees who had been a part of the birth of McDonald’s Saipan, watched its tottering steps and flourish into what McDonald’s Saipan is now.
Vital enjoys his job of maintaining the electrical needs of the company as well as maintaining all the equipment. He is always there and is willing to work beyond the 8a.m.-5 p.m. routine when necessary.
“I give my best in everything I do, I love my job and my employer is very good not only to me but to the rest of the employees,” Vital said.
The Ayuyu family treats them all as members of the family, he added.
Vital goes home to visit his wife and three kids every year but he always comes back to Saipan to his work at McDonald’s.
Vital said an employee will only stay in his job with his employer only if he is satisfied and happy.
“I have made McDonald’s Saipan my home for the past 17 years, and I am willing to spend more years serving them for as long as they want me here,” Vital said.
AUBREY ANTONIO (Food Crew)
THIS young and friendly lady behind the counter joined the McDonald’s Saipan family in November 2007 with the thought of just “testing the waters.”
Aubrey Antonio said she never planned to stay long but without being aware of it, she is enjoying her daily work and has even considered McDonald’s as her second home.
Over two years swiftly passed and Antonio is still with McDonald’s, “enjoying every minute of it, including the ups and downs and the challenges that come with the job.”
Antonio starts her work day real early at 6:15 in the morning, helping prepare everything before the fast food opens for breakfast at 6:30 a.m.
She said she has grown up and learned many things while working at McDonald’s, including valuable lessons like the value of work and dealing with different customers.
“At McDonald’s, we try our best to please our customers. Sometimes, when the pressures are so intense that we are ready to fall off our feet, we still manage to smile because it’s part of our customer service,” she said.
One of the challenges in her work is in dealing with customers who has complaints.
“The food crew at McDonald’s are just humans, like the food crew of any other fast-food and we are not perfect.
“When customers are mad or mean (yes, some of them are!), we do our best to pacify them and still maintain our smiles,” she added.
“At McDonald’s, you acquire loads of patience and polish your customer skills but these are valuable lessons that you can use in life,” Antonio said.
This young mother has shelved studying for the time being as she has to juggle her time between work and family, but she hopes to pick up her studies in the future.
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