Long-time McDonald’s Owner Operator Ted Lyon recently purchased three McDonald’s restaurants, two in Kentucky and one in Tennessee. Lyon intends to keep the restaurants and continue to invest in each community.
One of the Kentucky markets is in Russellville and the other in Tompkinsville. The Tennessee location is in Gallatin, where Lyon makes his home.
“We are blessed to be given the opportunity to grow our McDonald’s family. Becoming a part of these new communities is an exciting chapter for us, and we’re looking forward to meeting new friendly faces,” said Lyon. “As with our other McDonald’s locations, exceptional customer service continues to be our number one priority. We believe customers deserve freshly prepared, quality food served inside an environment that is enjoyable and comfortable. We consider it a privilege to not only serve you, but also to be a part of these wonderful communities.”
Lyon has experience in all parts of the McDonald’s system. He began his McDonald’s career 43 years ago as a crew person while attending Cornell University in New York state. From crew, he worked his way up and was soon living in France where he worked to integrate the American system into the French McDonald’s restaurants. Lyon was Regional Vice President of McDonald’s Corporation before retiring and becoming an owner/operator. He now owns 10 restaurants across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. Lyon’s wife, Astrid, has 20 years of McDonald’s and restaurant experience and is an active part of the organization.
In 2012, Lyon was honored with the Golden Arch Award, the highest award given to McDonald’s Owner Operators and earned by less than 1 percent of McDonald’s franchisees. Lyon was recognized for his dedication to customer service and community involvement. He is involved in approximately 30 schools surrounding his stores, participates in a variety of community events and donates to various organizations and churches.
Under his leadership, four managers have received the Ray Kroc award, an annual performance-based recognition of the top performing McDonald's restaurant managers in the country.
The Russellville McDonald’s was opened near what was then Wal-Mart in the Logan Square shopping center. For many years it was owned by Vic Danisi of Springfield
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