HOSPITALITY
Entrepreneur – former soldier Dean Fitzmaurice has opened his sixth McDonald’ s restaurant on Teesside.
PRIDE IN THE GOLDEN ARCHES
Brand-new Tees restaurant for McDonald’ s franchisee Dean
PICTURES: STUART BOULTON WORDS: DAVE ROBSON
Location – the brand-new 56-seater McDonald’ s building in Yarm Road, Stockton.
He’ s served with the army, travelled the world working in corporate security and even endured the“ World’ s Toughest Row” across the Atlantic.
But for Dean Fitzmaurice, opening a brand-new McDonald’ s restaurant in Stockton ranks high on his list of achievements.
A McDonald’ s franchisee since 2020, when he acquired the branch in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, Dean also has branches at Middlesbrough Leisure Park, Middlesbrough Riverside, Teesside Park and Thornaby.
For his sixth McDonald’ s, however, he’ s in charge of a completely new 56-seater building in Yarm Road, Stockton – next to the Lidl supermarket.
And as he speaks to Tees Business about it, his enthusiasm for the new restaurant – and the McDonald’ s brand – is clear.
Indeed, to borrow from a popular McDonald’ s advert – he’ s Lovin’ It.
He said:“ It’ s a real moment for the community to open a brand-new place like this that’ s been built on sound, eco-friendly values.
“ With this restaurant alone, we have just over 100 employees, 75 % of whom are under 24, so we’ re really investing in young people. And we estimate it will contribute about £ 2.5m to the local economy.”
McDonald’ s franchisee is perhaps not the obvious career choice for a Sheffield lad who joined the army at 16, serving as a combat medic in campaigns such as Kosovo and Iraq with 1 Close Support and 5 General Support for six years.
On leaving the army – where he met wife Melissa – he worked in corporate security for international companies, living in Baghdad and Dubai before returning to the UK to start his McDonald’ s adventure.
He explained:“ I Googled‘ businesses to buy in the UK’ because I didn’ t want to work for someone else again and‘ McDonald’ s franchising’ came up. You may as well go for number one, so I went for it and I’ ve never regretted it.”
106 | Tees Business