Lalaine's Choice

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Jade Colin is making waves in the restaurant franchise business as McDonald’s youngest black woman to own one of the popular fast food eateries.

"When I was 16, I started working at Smoothie King. I helped the owners open the store after Hurricane Katrina. The owners taught me a great deal about running a business, but being a normal teenager, I did not realize how much they taught me until later on in life. At that time, I knew I was developing a drive for running a business, but I wasn’t aware that the tasks they entrusted me with were going to be some of the same tasks I’d perform in my own business. I enjoyed the responsibility of helping to open and run a new store. The passion I had helping to open that Smoothie King is the same passion I wanted to have for my career," Colin explained.

No doubt an impressive feat, the New Orleans native has been preparing to run her own business for years. In 2010, her parents purchased their first McDonald’s. She began working in her family’s restaurants in 2012, after graduating from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelors in Business Management.

"I have only been around hard workers, so I do not know any other way to work. I was raised that if you want something, you work hard for it, and do what it takes to get there. Nothing worth having is going to come easily," Colin told Hype Magazine.

The next step in her journey towards owning her own was joining the Next Generation program. The program helps train children of McDonald’s franchise owners in hopes of one day running their parents’ investments, or franchising a new store themselves. Uniquely, a parent can’t simply pass their franchise down to their kids; they have to go through a process where they’re accepted to take it over, or, like Colin, start their own.

Colin excelled in the program, receiving the Outstanding Restaurant Manager of the Year Award for her region, as well as the Ray Kroc Award, which recognizes the top one percent of restaurant managers in the country.

In 2016, Colin opened her first McDonald’s location, marking her as McDonald’s youngest black franchise owner, at 26 years old.

“My business is truly a blessing,” Colin tells The Black Professional. “It was never something I would have ever thought I would be doing.”

Colin also serves her community. She provides job opportunities for Black people, supports local organizations and has fed first responders and medical staff during the pandemic.

In an Afrotech report, Colin says, “As an African American community, we need more men and women to know that it’s not just about right now, but it’s about the generations to come.”