McDonald's employee retires after 30 years

Sep. 15—On Tuesday, Susan Cook happily donned her McDonald's uniform the same way she's done for the past 30 years.

She was told there was going to be a large party coming in, and her co-workers needed help in the restaurant's dining room area.

But what Cook didn't realize at the time was that she was the guest of honor.

It was a few months ago that Cook — who began working at the Alto Road McDonald's in 1993 and never left — began to think about retirement.

Cheryl Roach is a manager in training at McDonald's, and she said she's had the privilege of working with Cook for the past few years.

"I normally do the birthdays and anniversaries," Roach told the Tribune. "She (Cook) asked when she'd get 30 years in. I looked it up and told her it would be September 2023. Her actual official 30-year mark is next week, but we wanted to make a special surprise for her. So that's when I said we had this big party coming, and I needed help in the lobby. She said she'd love to help."

But that's just the type of person Cook is, Roach added, always willing to do whatever is needed of her.

"She talks to everybody," Roach said, referring to Cook. "Everybody who's ever come into Alto Road McDonald's is familiar with Susan. They just love her. People love Susan, and I think we're going to miss just not hearing her around here anymore."

Tacy Kline is Cook's job coach and an employment specialist with WorkForce Diversity at Bona Vista, and she shared Roach's sentiments.

"She's very friendly and customer service oriented," Kline said. "She's been so dedicated to her job, too. ... I think it's just the happiness of her reporting to work every day. She's just always willing to do that, and whenever she comes in, she's ready to start work. She just brings a lot of happiness to this place."

And that happiness was on full display Tuesday as Cook greeted and hugged the gathered crowd of McDonald's staff, customers, her friends and her family, a bright pink tiara on her head and a smile stretched across her face.

"I was so surprised," Cook told the Tribune when asked what her reaction was when she realized the party was for her. "I'm just at a loss for words. I don't normally work on Tuesdays. I work on Wednesdays. But she (Roach) asked me if I wanted to work today, and I said, 'Yeah.' So I put on my uniform expecting to work and clean up the mess."

Cook then took a few minutes to talk about what McDonald's has personally meant to her over the years, specifically as it pertains to her co-workers.

She added that she'll probably miss them most of all.

"I think the most rewarding part is just to work here," she said, adding that she doesn't really have any big plans laid out now that she's retired. "I just like getting to know everybody. So I'm going to probably just miss everything."