By Mikayla van Loon
As a mere 19-year-old George Caruana had his dreams come true with a job opportunity at one of the first McDonald’s stores to open in Melbourne.
Now, 50 years later he’s the longest standing employee in Australia for the multinational company and loves every minute he gets to spend with customers.
Celebrating the milestone at his current store in Lilydale, Mr Caruana was commended by locals and head office staff over the course of Friday 23 and Saturday 24 February.
Visiting the Collingwood store in 1974, just after it opened, Mr Caruana never expected to walk away employed.
“Me and mum decided to go and get something to eat and try this new McDonald’s. It was the third McDonald’s in Melbourne and as we were enjoying our food, a manager came out exactly like I do today.
“He comes out into the dining room and says, ‘G’day, is everything okay with your food? Do you like it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I love it’.
“He said to me, ‘would you like a job?’ and he started showing me around the store and he came out to mum and said, ‘I gave your son a job’. I started the week after.”
For Mr Caruana, getting offered a position at Maccas was more than just a job, it was a chance to shift his future.
“I got sick of working in a factory because I started working at 12-years-old to support mum and I always wanted to get involved in food,” he said.
Moving his way up from the kitchen to customer service to manager, Mr Caruana soon found his calling in promotion and training.
“Once they knew all the stuff I learned, they started moving me from store to store to open them and train new managers and new staff and I just love it so much.”
Still to this day, seeing young people starting their employment journey brings joy to Mr Caruana but he said he wished more would see the potential in making a career at the company.
“I really like to show how important customers are and how to be treated by customers and how to handle them,” he said.
“I want to be involved with the new generation. Hopefully I can encourage them to stay on like me. I don’t think I could see it because a lot of people do not like the food industry anymore or any restaurant business I believe.”
Seeing and meeting lots of people over the five decades, one moment in particular remains stark in Mr Caruana’s mind.
“One day, I was on my shift and we were ready to close the door. In those days we used to shut by 11 o’clock, and we had to be out by 12 o’clock.
“We were across from Dallas Brooks Hall, which is a concert hall, and a fellow came in and said ‘Bette Davis is across the road and she wants to come out and get an apple pie’.
“I was so young that I didn’t think I should take a photo with Bette Davis. I didn’t realise how big she was.”
A second star meeting Mr Caruana had and still cherishes is the day he met McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.
“I’ve still got him in my heart and I honour him,” he said.
Continuing every year to support Mr Kroc’s legacy in the charity space, Mr Caruana has been a big supporter of the Ronald McDonald House.
When it came to Australia, Mr Caruana said people were rather apprehensive about where the money was going but over time it has become a well-loved aspect of the brand.
“When the Ronald McDonald House came to Australia, I think I was the first person to start raising money and I remember I raised $8,000.
“It’s 33 years this year and I am still collecting money. I think I’ve collected $157,000. I usually raise about $7000 a year just selling McDonald’s and other stuff in McDonald’s and let customers know every penny goes to the kids.
“And I always go and visit the house. And we put on barbecues for them and feed them for nothing.”
Seeing the phase out of Ronald McDonald and other characters like Hamburglar, is something Mr Caruana said he was sad to see go.
“Because of the McCafe it’s more of a restaurant compared to in the old days where there used to be families with kids. It’s still happening but not as much as with the characters.”
While the characters may not feature in store anymore, Mr Caruana doesn’t have to look far to see one, with his collection of memorabilia being so extensive.
From original food trays, burger boxes and happy meal toys, over the 50 years, Mr Caruana has collected items showcasing the changes from each decade.
Having worked in up to 40 stores over the years, Mr Caruana said Collingwood would always be his favourite as the first one he ever worked in but Lilydale is certainly up there.
Locals can expect to see Mr Caruana around for many years to come, with his love for the work still driving, and a small sense of competition.
“I’ve just been nominated number one in Australia [as the longest employee] but I am number two around the world.
“There’s a lady in America who is beating me by three years. She must have started in 1970 but she’s older than me.
“If I can stay another five years to beat that record [I will]. I just want to be a proud Australian all around the world. I don’t think afterwards they’ll ever beat me.”
