 Lance Jones, Owner/Operator, McDonalds 600 East 115th St. |
Owner/Operator, McDonalds 600 East 115th St.
Lance Jones has more than 20 years experience in the restaurant business, but none of that time compares to the days he’s spent at the McDonald’s on 600 E. 115th Street in Chicago’s south suburbs. As one of 17 black owners and operators in the Chicago metropolitan area, Jones takes pride in the fact that he is helping to fill voids in the community he serves.
“We really provide a service for the community — whatever community that we’re in,” Jones says. “Our community really depends on us to be there for them, to support them in things they’re doing [like] entrepreneurship [or] whatever it may be.”
Recently Jones and his fellow Black McDonald’s Operator’s Association members wrapped their “Nights at the Oasis” event series. As part of their promotion for the new McCafe mochas and lattes, the BMOA staged live jazz and spoken word mixers featuring the big name artists like Zzaje and J. Ivey.
For Jones, the experience was more than just selling a new McDonald’s product. “It’s really a new thing in the community, but we really wanted to make sure everyone in the community has the opportunity to enjoy the drinks,” he says. “
Even thought the Nights at the Oasis have come to end, Jones and his humanitarian spirit have not. Part of his neighborhood involvement includes several student outreach programs in which McDonald’s partners with Carver, Corliss and Gwendolyn Brooks high schools. “This store is heavily involved with all three [schools],” he says. “We’re really excited about the opportunity to serve this community.” –gavin philip godfrey
