'I just like to stay busy,' Meet the 93-year-old McDonald's employee in St. Louis County
Mary Beck, a 93-year-old employee at a McDonald's located off Tesson Ferry Road, has been making customers smile for the past 18 years as the restaurant's "hospitality ambassador."
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - "I just like to stay busy."
Mary Beck, a 93-year-old employee at a McDonald's located off Tesson Ferry Road, has been making customers smile for the past 18 years as the restaurant's "hospitality ambassador."
As the "hospitality ambassador," her day consists of greeting customers, keeping the lobby clean, and occasionally taking out orders to drive-thru customers.
"I love people, and I love staying busy," Beck said.
Typically, her day starts around 8 a.m. preparing fries and hashbrowns for the morning. Then, she spends most of her time in the lobby cleaning up tables and talking with customer's, many of whom visit the Concord, Missouri McDonald's just to talk with Beck.
"I come to this McDonald's only because Mary's here," Cindy, a regular customer, said. "She'll ask how my kids are doing. She makes it very pleasant to be at [McDonald's.]"
Beck having mostly younger co-workers has been deemed "grandma" of the restaurant, and what she says goes.
"She's very feisty, but in a good way," said Tina Chavez, general manager at Concord McDonald's. "Even our younger crew knows that if Miss Mary says something, then she means business. Everyone says, 'That's my grandma; I'm going to listen to her.'"
Chavez said because their McDonald's is located down the street from Mercy Hospital South on Tesson Ferry Road, they often serve recent patients from the hospital.
"We have a lot of elderly people who come from the hospital or are going for their weekly appointments." Chavez said. "Mary helps them have a good day by just talking to them."
Beck previously worked at McDonald's in Eureka, Missouri, for two years before moving to the Concord area to be closer to her daughter. Beck said most of her life she's worked as a waitress and in the customer service business.
"I've had my friends say, 'How can you work around people?'" Beck said. "I guess I'm a people person; that's why I like it."
Beck celebrated her 93rd birthday on Wednesday, November 6 at the McDonald's in Concord, surrounded by her fellow employees and the customers she regularly serves.
Beck said even at her age she enjoys staying on her feet and keeping her mind going.
"A lot of my customers now ask, 'Why are you still working?'" Beck said. "I just like to stay busy."
What's Your Reaction?
