Triple-decker celebration for Waterford woman after 30 years working in McDonalds

A McDonald’s employee in Waterford is celebrating her work anniversary after 30 years working with the popular restaurant.

Siobhan Sanderson first joined the Cork Road Restaurant as a crew member and she’s now General Manager of that franchise, as well as another city centre premises.

The mother of two is a well-known face among customers and an integral part of the 200-strong team she’s been instrumental in training across both restaurants.

Commenting that time had passed “so quickly”, Siobhan said she “enjoyed every minute of working in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same”.

“Soon after starting out, I realised that I really enjoyed this line of work,” she said.

“I went for a manager’s job and then I worked my way up through the ranks,” she added.

With regard to changes she’s seen over her 30-year career with the business she said McDonald’s had grown into a modern restaurant “that delivers great service and a bigger range of products to its customers, while maintaining a focus on keeping costs low”.

According to Siobhan, one of the biggest changes, is a massive surge in the popularity of breakfast following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s off the charts, especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings,” she said.

“We do a huge number of deliveries, and the orders are massive,” she added.

“That took off during Covid.”

For Siobhan, McDonald’s has always been much more like an extended family to her than just a job.

Her son Sam (18), who’s in his last year of secondary school, has been doing part-time weekend work at the restaurant since he was 15.

“He really enjoys it, which is great, while he’s also learning about the value of money,” said Siobhan, who also spent time in the Ronald McDonald House, which provides accommodation for families of seriously ill children who are hospitalised or undergoing extended treatment in hospital.

“Unfortunately, my daughter Grace was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, when she was six,” said Siobhan.

“We stayed in the Ronald McDonald House and everyone was able to come and visit,” she added.

“It is an amazing facility and I’m very passionate about what it did for us.” 

 Thankfully, Grace, now aged 13, made a full recovery following surgery to remove her left pelvis.

Siobhan said she and her husband, Heath, are very thankful that Grace appears to be “one of the lucky ones” as regards the illness. In addition to being charity and community focused, the Waterford restaurants sponsor local sports clubs in the area.

They also boast a multicultural workplace, with staff hailing from countries across the world, including Poland, Ukraine, Spain, India, China and England.

Both Waterford restaurants have long-serving employees with special educational needs, whom Siobhan describes as “the life and soul” of the business.

“Kevin and Mary have been with us for 29 and 28 years respectively,” she said.

“They are an important part of the team, and they help add to the diversity of our already diverse workplace,” she added.

In another nod to ‘keeping it in the family’, Siobhan revealed that both Waterford restaurants employ teenagers and relatives belonging to staff, commenting: “The daughter of one of the business managers works here, as does the sister and brother of another. My nephew works here too. We’re just one big happy family.” Franchisee, Joe Byrne, said Siobhan, with whom he’s worked since the Cork Road store opened three decades ago, was an inspiration to her colleagues.

“We very much appreciate all of our staff members and enjoy celebrating their achievements,” he said.

“Employees like Siobhan have played a key part in our growth and success, and I would like to thank her for everything she has done and continues to do daily,” he added.

“Our colleagues connect with wider communities and continue to provide the high-quality service that customers keep coming back for.”