Veronica Kaneko is retiring from her post as president and general manager of McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii at the end of the month, closing out a 41-year career that began in 1977 when she was hired as a part-time crew member at McDonald’s of Pearlridge.
Veronica Kaneko is retiring from her post as president and general manager of McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii at the end of the month, closing out a 41-year career that began in 1977 when she was hired as a part-time crew member at McDonald’s of Pearlridge.
“When I started working at McDonald’s, I was your typical teenager just looking for a part-time job to earn some spending money and to save to eventually buy a car,” Kaneko said. “I never thought it would eventually turn into a permanent job.”
Kaneko spent more than four decades at McDonald’s, working her way up from crew member to president and managing director, overseeing operations for the region, which includes 82 restaurants (four of them on Kauai) and more than 5,200 employees throughout Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.
This year, McDonald’s marks 50 years in Hawaii. Kaneko attributes the company’s success and longevity to its commitment to innovation and enhancing and elevating the customer experience.
“Running a restaurant is much more complex these days, but it’s much easier than when you took orders with pencil and paper,” she said.
