Business

Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Owners Facing A Whopper of a Dilemma

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE — Last November a small contingent of Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) members gathered at a McDonald’s restaurant on West 8 Mile to pick up and hand out turkeys to families in the area. It’s not the kind of gesture most people would expect from a McDonald’s franchise owner but was entirely consistent with the sense of community and commitment from this small group of African American entrepreneurs.

Published

5 years ago

June 15, 2019

Patreice A. Massey

By Trevor W. Coleman

Last November a small contingent of Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) members gathered at a McDonald’s restaurant on West 8 Mile to pick up and hand out turkeys to families in the area.

It’s not the kind of gesture most people would expect from a McDonald’s franchise owner but was entirely consistent with the sense of community and commitment from this small group of African American entrepreneurs.

It was a display of the commitment the Detroit BMOA has shown the community for the nearly 50 years of its existence as a group of local businesses committed to excellent customer service and community service.

But now, some members are concerned that the organization has fallen on hard times as its member ship has consistently shrunk over the past decade.

Bill Pickard, an original founding member of the Detroit BMOA said the once nearly 25 strong Detroit group is now down to eight or perhaps nine members.

“We probably had 20 owners or more at one time and now we’re down to less than 10,” he said. That’s a 50 percent drop off man. Of the remaining 8 or nine franchises in Detroit, half are in trouble. What happened?”

So concerned with the viability of the Detroit franchises and organization, the national BMOA Board of Directors is holding a regional meeting this week at the MGM Grand Casino Hotel in Detroit to assess the situation.

Pickard, who owns a McDonald’s at Michigan Ave. and Livernois, said they don’t hold those kinds of meetings locally unless there are real concerns. And he has his suspicions regarding the problems.

“Basically, we have many people who are not eligible for growth. And they’ve had to make major reinvestments in the last couple of years. And if you are already highly leveraged and you must make more investments it’s just a difficult amount of pressure on an organization,” he said.

Bernard Price, a retired franchise owner and one of the founding members of the BMOA agreed. He said although he sold his McDonald’s in 1994, many of the same pressure exist today such as a constant demand by corporate to make renovations and other major capital improvements with scarce resources.

“Over time many black operators didn’t make it,” he said. “They left because of a lack of business acuity or their own problems, and sometimes not.”

“Sometimes it was the company’s fault because when they did give us a store, they gave us one of the poorest stores. So, we started off as disadvantaged no doubt,” Price said.

That is why they formed BOMA to leverage whatever influence they had together to get better terms with the corporation, he noted.

On its website, the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA) calls itself the largest organization of established African American entrepreneurs in the world. It is a 47-year old Organization dedicated to ensuring that African American McDonald’s Owners are fully engaged in all the benefits associated with owning McDonald’s restaurants.

The NBMOA goal is the complete integration of NBMOA members, African American Employees, and Vendors into the McDonald’s system. The NBMOA also works diligently to make sure that McDonald’s fully engage the African American community in a respectful and positive manner.

Price, the NBMOA and Detroit organization co-founder said he hopes for the best.

This article originally appeared in the Michigan Chronicle.

Patreice A. Massey

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Oakland Post: Week of September 4 – 10, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 4 – 10, 2024

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1 day ago

September 6, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of August 28 – September 4, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 28 – September 4, 2024

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August 30, 2024

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Business

Gov. Newsom Signs New Laws Strengthening State’s Crackdown on Organized Retail Crimes

On Aug. 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills aimed at strengthening the state’s ability to prosecute people involved in organized retail crimes. According to Newsom’s office, “the new laws provide tougher criminal penalties for repeat offenders and additional tools for felony prosecutions.”

Published

1 week ago

August 28, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug. 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills aimed at strengthening the state’s ability to prosecute people involved in organized retail crimes.

According to Newsom’s office, “the new laws provide tougher criminal penalties for repeat offenders and additional tools for felony prosecutions.”

“Let’s be clear, this is the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history,” said Newsom speaking at a news conference in San Jose.

“I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics.”

Among other infractions, the news laws cover smash-and-grabs, sale of stolen property and car break-ins.

Earlier in the week, Newsom announced that the state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) has recovered stolen goods worth more than $7.2 million and has made 884 arrests since the beginning of the year.

The ORCTF’s efforts have led to a 212% increase in criminal investigations statewide. These investigations have led to a 106% increase in arrests in recent months.

Since 2019 when Newsom first appointed the task force, the state has invested over $1.1 billion to fight crimes and bolster local law enforcement efforts in communities across the state. This included an allocation of over $267 million across 55 cities and counties to hire more police and invest time and resources in more criminal investigations to make arrests and file felony charges against suspects.

Some of that funding was allotted last year as part of the governor’s Real Public Safety Plan, partnering with police and sheriff’s departments and district attorney offices to curb organized retail theft.

“The state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is responding readily and at record pace to crack down on organized criminals attempting to rip off California’s storefronts — demonstrating a continued commitment to enforcing public safety and protecting our communities,” said Newsom.

The task force helped the California Highway Patrol (CHP) make over 2,900 arrests and seize more than $45 million worth of stolen property since 2019 when it was first created.

Sean Duryee, the commissioner of the CHP, said that pursuing organized retail crime has yielded significant results each month.

“Through targeted investigations and numerous arrests, we are actively disrupting and dismantling these crime rings that threaten our communities and businesses,” said Duryee.

“Our message is clear: we will not allow organized retail crime to go unchecked in California,” he said.

The task force’s special operations and anti-crime initiatives have helped remove guns and drugs off the streets in hot spots such as Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco with the backing of CHP officers, Newsom office stated.

California Retailers Association (CRA) President and CEO Rachel Michelin joined the Governor at the bill signing, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), and other officials.

“These bills’ swift movement through the state Legislature and into law make it clear that retail theft policy priorities have shifted this year,” wrote Michelin on Facebook.

“This seismic shift is a testament to the California Retailers Association team’s strategic and persistent work with state leadership including the Governor’s office, Speaker’s office, Senate Pro Tempore, various members of the legislature and other key stakeholders to ensure the safety of our customers, stores and neighborhoods in which we operate in,” she added.