McD's diversity efforts honored at white house

Nation's Restaurant News,  Feb 25, 2008  by Dina Berta

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WASHINGTON--In the midst of a recent White House reception to honor Black History Month, 14 McDonald's franchisees got to rub elbows with several national dignitaries and historical figures, including civil rights leader John Lewis, lead singer Otis Williams of the Temptations, and Ernest Green, who was one of nine black students to integrate an all-white high school in Little Rock, Ark.

"We were very excited and overwhelmed;' said Show and a Mayer, a franchisee in Portsmouth, Va., who, with her husband,John, owns six restaurants. Mayer had her picture taken with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The 14 are among the 318 black franchisees operating 1,195 McDonald's restaurants. Nearly 14 percent of the franchisees holding contracts with Oak Brook, III.-based McDonald's Corp. are black.About 80 percent of McDonald's more than 13,700 U.S. restaurants are run by franchisees.

McDonald's has been widely recognized for its racial diversity, having garnered spots on several media lists for best companies for minorities. The chain's leadership role in diversity is one of the reasons the company was included in the Feb. 12 invitation-only event at the White House, a company spokeswoman said.

For the past few years, McDonald's has been invited to bring representatives to White House Heritage events, and the fast-food giant has used the opportunity to offer the prestigious visits as perks for its franchisees.

Franchisees are selected by a committee of McDonald's executives. Attendees are usually chosen on the basis of store performance, community involvement and how well the franchisees represent McDonald's.

Among the chosen franchisees was Eric Moore, a former offensive lineman for the Super Bowl XXV champion New York Giants. Moore and his wife, Vanessa, own eight McDonald's in the Indianapolis area.

His Super Bowl team did not receive the traditional invitation to the White House because of a conflicting matter 17 years ago, the Desert Storm war in Kuwait and Iraq, Moore said. But as a McDonald's franchisee, he finally got the chance to shake a president's hand.

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"It was a joyful day," Moore said. "I'm proud to be a McDonald's owner-operator."

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