Rob and Linley Parry have owned Rotorua’s three McDonald’s restaurants for 21 years but are leaving to further their opportunities in Hamilton. They are credited with raising nearly $2m for charity, donating more than $1.4m in community sponsorship and building young people’s career aspirations. Senior journalist Kelly Makiha
Rotorua McDonald’s owners Rob and Linley Parry sell up
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Rob and Linley Parry have sold their three McDonald's restaurants and are leaving Rotorua after 21 years.
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“Before I moved here to Rotorua, I was never proud of working at McDonald’s. I was ashamed of it. I didn’t like to tell my family and friends. That was until I worked with you [the Parrys]. You have showed me a whole new side to the business and to take pride in it.”
Another staff member, Brae Thomson, told the Rotorua Daily Post at the event he was 15 when he started working at McDonald’s part-time. Half-way through Year 13, he realised his career goals under the Parrys were greater so he left school.
Now he’s 20, he’s jointly bought a house with the Parrys in Hamilton and has moved there to work as their restaurant manager in one of the stores they have bought.
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Thomson said not only had the Parrys helped him get on the property ladder at such a young age but they were also showing him how he could one day own a McDonald’s franchise.
In the past 15 years, the Parrys have raised $1.4 million at 14 annual Supper Club fundraising events with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald Family Retreats in Rotorua. The retreats are used as getaways for families of sick children or those who have lost children.
They have also given out more than $1.4 million in sponsorships, including adult and children’s sports groups, kapa haka teams and through education grants at almost all schools in Rotorua.
Their generosity has been infectious with staff donating $250,000 from their pay during the past 15 years to the Rotorua-based Ronald McDonald Charities.
The scheme operates throughout New Zealand where McDonald’s staff are encouraged to donate between $1 and $5 a week to charity from their salaries.
Linley Parry said she was proud to say about three-quarters of their Rotorua staff donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities from their weekly payroll and those donations made up close to half of the payroll donations to the Ronald McDonald House Charities in New Zealand
Why they are leaving
Rob Parry told the Rotorua Daily Post they had had a great run in Rotorua but there were more McDonald’s restaurants to buy in Hamilton.
“We have had the time of our lives.”
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He said they had bought three McDonald’s in Hamilton - 5 Cross Roads at Claudelands, Hamiton East and Chartwell Square - but the city had nine in total and possibly 10 in the future.
“That would create a great opportunity for us if we got [them] one day.”
He said their goal was to create a larger operation that their son, George, 21, would eventually take over.
George was now living in Hamilton and running one of the businesses there.
“Hopefully in a few years’ time, he would look at taking us over at some point.”
Rob Parry said they bought all three Rotorua McDonald’s 21 years ago - The Happy Homestead on Fairy Springs Rd (which later moved to a new premises across the road), Tutanekai St and Fenton St.
He said they tried hard to make the Tutanekai St restaurant work for the sake of Rotorua’s central business district but the turnover wasn’t enough.
He said it soon became a hang-out spot for the homeless and a suspicious fire in the toilets was the final straw. Instead, they swiftly opened a new restaurant on Te Ngae Rd at Hannah’s Bay.
When asked why they stayed in Rotorua for so long, Rob Parry was quick to respond.
“It’s the people, it’s a wonderful city, the culture you love, it’s made Linley and I better people.”
Despite publicly speaking out about the homeless issues and its impacts on his business, Rob Parry said that wasn’t what made them leave.
“It’s more the opportunities that arose in Hamilton. That was the main driver of our decision. We love this city, we will always love this city. It’s been really challenging, there’s no denying that but Hamilton has its issues too.”
Rob Parry said at his farewell function that he and Linley arrived in Rotorua 21 years ago from Fielding with their then 1-year-old son, George, and his baby brother, Tom, on the way.
“It was a huge slog. But we were lucky, right at the start.”
Part of their vision for staff and business came from the late Te Arawa kaumātua Mita Mohi.
“That man and his family embraced us and taught us how amazing Rotorua was and what a special city this was. We really appreciated the time we had with him. He took us all under his wing. After a couple of years ... we came to love this city of Rotorua.”
He said while business sales had grown immensely over the years, the best part of the job was seeing young staff members flourish.
“I know people my age tend to think of the youth of today as not broken or not where they want them to be. But I disagree. I think the youth of Rotorua is in really good hands because of what you guys do, how hard you work,” Rob Parry said at the function.
He described the staff as a like a “McFamily”.
The tightness of the group was evident early on when the former Happy Homestead restaurant on Fairy Springs Rd was the subject of an aggravated robbery. He got a call from police to say the robbers had been caught and were sitting in the restaurant with their hands on their heads.
“As it transpired, we did everything wrong. One of our staff ... was having nothing of it. He pulled him [the robber] through the window and went to town on them. Thankfully police got there.
Another staff member ‘‘turned up later with his machete because he heard we were under attack. This is how it was in those days”.
He said there had been difficult times but staff rose to the challenge.
Linley Parry said at the farewell function she was proud of the beautiful restaurants they had created.
“The new decor and bespoke carvings. The illuminated waharoa [entranceway]. There are no McDonald’s restaurants like ours in the world and we will always be proud of our piece in this story.”
She said while millions had been raised and donated over the years, none of it could have happened without the staff.
“Without you, our support wouldn’t have worked. You have brought the dream to life.”
She said she was proud of the staff who worked through the management development programmes, attended classes and completed training.
“For some, they achieved more success than they did at school. This is something Rob and I are really proud of.”
Deagan Williams was one of those staff members. He told the Rotorua Daily Post he was now a Rotorua McDonald’s department manager at 20.
He started working part-time at McDonald’s when he was 15 but he didn’t get excited about school.
“After my first year working part-time at McDonald’s, I realised I wanted to progress there and was fulltime at McDonald’s when I was 16 ... I saw how much more I could grow ... It’s kind of showed me that you can create a future and can grow more off McDonald’s and showed there is potential to go higher up.’'
New owners
Melissa and Luke Nuttall have bought McDonald’s Fenton St after owning their first franchise, McDonald’s Tokoroa, for the past 18 months
Originally from Christchurch, Melissa Nuttall said they were moving to Rotorua with their two children, aged 5 and 4.
“We are excited about this opportunity. It’s a little bit daunting filling the shoes of Rob and Linley as they are incredible people.”
Reuel and Zhen Christiansen have bought McDonald’s Te Ngae and Fairy Springs.
The Christiansens bought their first franchise, McDonald’s Matamata, three years ago.
“We have got a long history with McDonald’s, first working in a restaurant, then in the corporate office and working towards owning our own business,” Reuel Christiansen said.
They have sold their Matamata restaurant to buy the two in Rotorua.
“It’s a great opportunity to grow and we’re really looking forward to moving to Rotorua.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
