If you’ve eaten at McDonald’s in Burnaby over the last 40 years, you may have met North Burnaby’s Joe Guzzo.
The McDonald’s franchisee is celebrating four decades with the restaurant chain, originally starting in the kitchen when he was 15 years old. He calls his 40-year career his “McJourney,” from working the counter to running seven locations throughout the Lower Mainland.
“I was a high school student in North Burnaby,” he said of his start with McDonald’s. “I come from a relatively large family, immigrant family – we’re Italians. Nine brothers and sisters, mom and dad.
“There wasn’t a lot to go around, of course, so we had to get out and get some work if we wanted to be able to go to a movie or go skiing.”
In 1975, Guzzo started working at the McDonald’s at Alpha and Hastings – only the fourth McDonald’s location in Canada.
“I want to Alpha Secondary School, so it was just down the street,” he said. “I got the job out of necessity because I wanted to have some fun as a teenager, and as it turned out, I had a lot of fun there and stuck around.”
While most teens would consider working at McDonald’s to be just a job, Guzzo saw it for more than that. He recognized it as an opportunity to develop lifelong work skills like teamwork and attention to detail.
“If I look back, I think it made me more confident and able to speak and deal with the public and other individuals,” he said. “There’s a lot of things you take out of that job, even at the early ages of 15, 16 and 17 that you could apply to your regular life, not to mention just good work ethic.
“I decided to stick around when there was a lot of pressures to find yourself another job from people who didn’t understand McDonald’s. I grew up inside it and I knew there was something there.”
After a few years, Guzzo became assistant manager, then manager, then worked his way up into higher positions, eventually getting relocated to Edmonton for five years and Toronto for three. But McDonald’s took him further than he could have imagined.
“I got to see the world,” he said. “I went to London, Chicago, different special projects along the way with McDonald’s. I got a great salary, some fantastic stocks and bonuses, which ultimately enabled me to cash in and buy the businesses that I bought.
“I’m happy to say, it’s worked out quite well for me.”
Despite moving out of province for a few years, Guzzo made a point to come back to Burnaby when he was done in other parts of Canada.
“I’m a Burnaby guy,” he said with a smile. “I’ve never really left Burnaby other than when my job took me to a couple of places.
“When I was transferred originally to Edmonton, I sold my home, but at the same time, I bought a piece of property, knowing that one day I’d want to come back to Burnaby. I still live in North Burnaby, I love the area.”
Now, with seven restaurants to manage, Guzzo’s working hard as ever, but he has some help from his family. His eldest son is a regional manager while his 19-year-old – who’s taking business classes at Douglas College – works the front of house at the Market Crossing location.
“He works part-time to understand the business and get some experience and learn some of those skills,” said Guzzo. “It’s been very good for him – he’s been at it since he was 15.
“I also have a sister in the business. My wife, she’s in charge of payroll and administration, and truth be known, she’s the real boss,” he added with a chuckle. “But it’s really good having people around.”
To Guzzo, his career is a testament to 40 years of hard work. He takes pride in what he’s accomplished, and he credits McDonald’s for instilling in him the confidence and abilities to move up in the business world.
“If you really apply yourself anywhere, you can be very successful. Everybody wants instant success, but there’s a lot of satisfaction that comes from starting out at a certain spot and getting to where you are.”
