Denise and Steve Bentham own and operate four McDonald’s restaurants in Houston. Here, Denise talks about her relationship and her experience as a McDonald’s owner-operator.
How did you determine you career path?
I didn’t. I never saw myself and being a McDonald’s owner-operator. It was not my dream but my husband’s dream. He is the catalyst behind the whole success. I always want to make sure I put him in the forefront. I met him at the first McDonald’s owner-operator store in the Bronx, New York. I was working the front counter and he was working in the back cooking. It was not love at first sight, I just saw he could dance. I wanted to know how to dance like him. After that we went to clubs where he continued to show me how to dance. That was the beginning of our love story. We have been together for 33 years. We have three kids with this union.
I learned the business while I was still in corporate America, while my husband was an owner-operator. After that he was offered a store in Houston and he decided to take it. I worked in the store, still working my corporate job and taking care of the kids at home. I went to Hamburger University in 1999 and I received my degree.
In 2006 my husband got sick, and with the help of my director of operations, supervisor and myself, we did not miss a beat. Today he still works behind the scene, but is hands-on.
How do you handle being married and both being owner-operators?
It is hard.
Any tips on how to handle being married and an owner-operator?
Don’t do it [chuckles]. I have my own way of handling battles and he has his, but at the end of the day we get the same results and that’s what counts.
How long do you think it will take to groom your daughter to become an owner-operator?
I am grooming her now so she is working in the office now. She will complete college in 2017 and it, take three years after that. This business I can’t will it to my daughter. She has to earn it.
What skills does it take to be a McDonald’s owner-operator?
Definitely back office experience, a lot of times people think the operations part of the business is it, but there is so much back office paperwork, sales tax, permits, etc. You will need administrative and organizational skills because everything comes at you constantly. McDonald’s is a fast-paced business, you learn one procedure and another one awaits, but it is a very rewarding business. It has given us the opportunity to give back, travel to places I would have never gone.
How do you cope with the pace?
Be ready to change with each situation, from technology to product.
How do you measure success?
Just being in the position to give back and to employ people that never had jobs before or giving someone a second chance.
Name two books that you think are important to read.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
My best friend, Stephanie Oliver; and my husband, Steve.
Additional information from her husband, Steve.
What advice would give to someone who wants to be an owner-operator?
Save your money and build your credit.
What has been the best experience out of the years that you’ve been an owner-operator?
The best experience is being able to hire young people. Not too many corporations will give the opportunity to a young person. People with all types of professional jobs has experience working at McDonald’s as their first job.
