“It does give us an opportunity to tap into another customer base, one that we haven’t been able to address in the past,” says Hairston, who opened his first McDonald’s store in 1984. “By doing that and by producing a superior quality product as we have in the McCafé line, we’re able to really continue to grow our business and meet the needs of our loyal customers who come to visit us every day.”
Also, the unveiling of the McCafé line is fortuitous in that it debuts during the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “[There will be] a lot of people in the city, mingling around, and hopefully, we’ll be selling a lot of specialty coffees at that time. … We’ve got advertising on TV, billboards, [we’re] just getting the message out, [and] letting our customers know that we do have a new product out and that we’re excited about it, and we’re wanting them to come out and try it.”
The McCafé coffee line is the latest in a long line of special moments for Hairston at McDonald’s. He says he continues to derive great gratification from his ability to serve the community and nurture talent. “The best part for me has been my ability to create opportunities for people to be successful,” he says. “In my previous life, I was a football coach. So now I’m basically doing the same thing, I’m coaching people, putting them in positions to be successful. And I think the biggest reward that I have is when I take a person and give them an opportunity and they excel in the system and they continue to grow and move up the ladder.” –terry shropshire
