MALDEN — Tabish Iqbal has risen through the ranks quickly in his three years working in the McDonald’s restaurant organization.
But the Malden resident reached even greater heights when he was named as a recipient of the Ray Kroc Award as one of the top McDonald’s restaurant managers in the world. He is one of only 340 McDonald’s managers worldwide to receive this honor, which represents just 1 percent of all the managers worldwide. McDonald’s operates nearly 37,000 restaurants around the world in 120 countries.
“I am honored to receive this award and it is a credit to everyone at this restaurant as well,” Iqbal said. “It has been exciting to help introduce the new features offered in our restaurant.”
Iqbal is the manager of the state-of-the-art McDonald’s at 128 Lower Broadway in Everett near the Boston city line. The Everett McDonald’s is the first in the nation to incorporate a model that McDonald’s intends to install in more restaurants around the country.
The store features two floors connected by an elevator with dining rooms upstairs and downstairs. In the downstairs dining room, a unique feature is table service. Using sensors and some advanced technology, those in the kitchen are notified where a customer is sitting and what items they wish to order. When the order is ready, it is brought to the table by a McDonald’s staff member. At each table, there are computer tablets on the wall featuring family games to play while one waits.
The restaurant’s second floor features an expansive dining room with many windows facing the construction site of what will be the 13-acre, $2.4 billion Wynn Boston Casino, which is set to open in 2019.
Iqbal has been invited to an international awards ceremony in mid-April in Orlando, Fla., hosted by McDonald’s and its CEO Steve Easterbrook. He and the other manager honorees will be guests at a banquet and reception and will each receive a cash prize and trophy.
Iqbal has been working for McDonald’s for more than three years and had moved up quickly.
“It has been a joy to work for McDonald’s, starting as a shift manager, then as an assistant manager and now as manager of our recently rebuilt Everett restaurant,” Iqbal said in a statement. “One of my favorite elements of my job is interacting with so many different people – both customers and team members – and I’ve been fortunate to be able to grow my team and work to motivate them with positivity every day.”
Jeff Brewster who owns and operates the Everett restaurant, got his start as a McDonald’s employee himself, and rose to have his own franchise.
“Tabish was nominated for his commitment to great hospitality and exceptional customer service. He did such an exceptional job with the launch of the new digital kiosks and table service in our Everett restaurant and is a perfect role model for his employees,” Brewster said in a statement. “We’re delighted that we are able to recognize Tabish in this way for his commitment to McDonald’s.”
