Local husband-and-wife McDonald’s owners/operators Michael and Samantha Kiel recently celebrated five of their employees’ 10-year work anniversaries. The Kiels commemorated their achievements with a special surprise ceremony, during which they gave each employee 10-year service awards, gifts and bonuses.
The names and positions of each employee include:
● Oralia Jacobo, general manager and previous Ray Kroc Award Winner
● Pilar Pacheco, department manager
● Rocio Baldivia, shift manager
● Amy Castro, crew trainer
● Teresita Carrillo, crew trainer
“Probably the most rewarding thing for us as small business owners, and especially with the
employees that we recognized recently for being with us since we moved here in 2013, is just
watching them have these opportunities to grow. All of the employees that we just recognized for
10 years started as crew people while working their way to different positions,” Michael Kiel said. “One
of them received the Ray Kroc Award, which is in the country’s top 1 percent of general managers.
The Kiels became owners/operators in Las Vegas in 2013, and they now own and operate five locations in Southern Nevada. They have been with McDonald’s for a combined total of more than 69 years (Michael Kiel, 39 years and Samantha Kiel, 30 years) and continue to work daily in their restaurants.
The Kiels attribute their success to being local, involved in the business, daily; understanding the operations; and working with their employees.
“We just love the opportunity to help them grow and make careers out of this business. This business has been so good to us, and we want to pay it forward to the people that work for us because without them, we’re nothing,” Michael Kiel said. “Most of our employees are part time, and this is supplemental income. We’re very flexible with our people and whatever their goals, we’re able to help them get there.”
If people want to make McDonald’s a career, the opportunity is there, and the Kiels are ready to help their employees grow and promote them.
“We do have some hourly managers that don’t want to become general managers, but we offer archways to opportunity. Many are pursuing an education and we are thrilled to help contribute to them getting their degree,” Samantha Kiel said.
There is educational assistance offering the ability for employees to get a high school diploma. There is a program for employees to learn English as a second language along with other benefits including paid time off, discounts on purchases and free meals.
“I believe so much is offered to employees in the McDonald’s system as well as franchisees of the McDonald’s brand,” Michael Kiel said.
Samantha Kiel was born into the McDonald’s Family, with her father working for the McDonald’s corporation before retiring in 2006. She also worked for McDonald’s after graduating from college. Michael Kiel started working for McDonald’s in high school and continued his career in the company for 14 years as an area supervisor, a business consultant and a training consultant. The couple met in 2000, were married in 2004 and 2006, decided to become owner-operators and moved to Las Vegas. Their organization of restaurants, OLI-K, LLC, is named after their daughter, Olivia Kiel.
“We’ve been able to grow to become multiple store owners and watched our people get more opportunities to grow. McDonald’s continues to grow its footprint, and we want to continue to work to help develop the talent for McDonald’s,” Michael Kiel said.
McDonald’s recently released a statistic that 1 in 8 Americans have worked at a McDonald’s restaurant.
“Our business model really has always been a small business concept. McDonald’s restaurants are 95 percent owned by small business folks like Samantha and myself. We are active members of our communities, fundraising for local schools and Ronald McDonald House Charities ofGreater Las Vegas,” Michael Kiel said.
The Kiels partner with police departments to host Trunk-or-Treating events, providing a safe way for local children to celebrate Halloween. They organize Coffee with a Cop events, which are designed to foster better relationships between police officers and the communities they serve. In 2021, they were honored with the prestigious Ronald Award, recognizing their exceptional contributions to customers and local communities as McDonald’s franchisees.