McDonald’s Manager To Retire After 47 Years

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Craig Kent has been a staple of regional McDonald’s service for decades; yet, after 47 years, Kent is hanging up his hat and retiring from the only company he’s ever known.

“When I first started at McDonalds in 1978, at 6 p.m., I was wearing a green McDonald’s hat, green shirt, and black pants, and the first thing I ate was a Big Mac; so, on April 25 – my last day – I’m going to eat a Big Mac. It’ll be my last sandwich,” Kent remarked with a smile.

He first began working with the company in 1978, after his classmate Frank Goethe suggested he apply at the restaurant. Kent began his job just 3 days after graduating from high school. He was first working on the grill in the Vidalia location of the franchise, but moved around greatly – especially after becoming a shift manager. ‘I’ve worked about 10 stores – Vidalia, Swainsboro, Metter, Alma, Louisville, Douglas. I even met my wife at the Fitzgerald store,” he explained.

Though he moved around a lot at the beginning, Kent has been working at the Hazlehurst Mc-Donald’s for several years. He said, often people will see him around town in Vidalia and will ask him to come back to the local store; yet, he’s never been able to transfer back. “I can’t go everywhere,” he added with a laugh.

Times have changed a lot since Kent first began his career at McDonald’s. “When I first started working at McDonald’s, the road was only two-lane; there wasn’t a Wendy’s or anything like that,” he shared. “When I started working, the pay rate was $2.10 per hour because everything was cheap. You could get a candy bar for a quarter, and gas was $0.99 per gallon. It was crazy.”

When asked what he felt was the most important lesson he learned through working, Kent responded, “Working is working with customers – that’s my experience. Being friendly and making them feel like they are at home. If you have an attitude problem, they won’t come back. You have to make sure you make them happy or the environment good for them.”

Kent said he had also learned a lot about managing and working with other people throughout his career. “I get along with almost every employee. Some don’t always want to work and just stand around – then, I do what I have to do and write them up. If they don’t want to do their job, they need to be off of the schedule – that’s how I feel,” he commented. “When I’m working, I like to have fun – we cut up and everything. We make the work environment fun. We go to work, have a good spirit, have a good attitude, and have a good day. That’s all there is to it. I love all of the employees I have worked with.”

In fact, Kent shared that it was the people he worked with that kept him within the franchise so long. “I have liked the managers I worked with and the owners and operators – especially Tom Findley. We are close-close, and I go visit him since he retired. I liked working with him a lot,” he recalled. He also shared his gratitude to the owners, operators, and coworkers that he had worked alongside throughout his career, including former store owner Jack Perold, former store manager Ralph Perold, former store owner Tom Findley, former store manager Rick Powell, current store owner Kevin Griner, Allen McArthur, the late Sarah Lamb, Diana Green, Larry Powell, Deroyce McCloud, Steve Kent, KiKi Martinez, Thomas Cline, Deborah Lamb, T.J. Sager, Maxine Sager, Melodie King, Kayla Brantley, Tashivia Carswell, Angelina Miller, and Ayonna Fureron.

“I’m going to miss it, but I can’t stay there forever. I’ve got to make a choice and keep moving,” he emphasized, as he stated that he informed the company last year that he would be retiring. “When I retire, I’m going to go to church more often. I can’t go to church on Wednesday nights because I’m working. [After retiring,] I can do more activities with the church. Being a manager, it’s hard to do what I want to do [outside of work]. I want to enjoy walking and all that good stuff.”

Kent also said that his and his wife’s health have also contributed to his decision to retire, as he now plans to take care of the pair. He shared that he hopes that whoever fills his spot will lead with the same enthusiasm and joy for the job, and stated that he had faith in the leaders.

Kent’s career will come to an end on Friday, April 25, as he clocks out for the last time. He plans to celebrate his decades of service at the Vidalia Onion Festival Concert on Saturday, April 26.