CHILLICOTHE — For some, fast food work is just a foot in the door till a new opportunity comes. But for Jana Detty, the job she took while on summer break in college became her career.
Now, fifty years later, Detty walked away from the golden arches on May 15, with countless memories and many lessons under her belt.
“I started July 1, 1976,” Detty said. “My neighbor was the manager out here on Western Avenue, and I needed a summer job between college. So, I came to work here at McDonald’s.”
Detty said she was going to school at Hocking Tech to go into medical records, but she decided it wasn’t something she wanted to do long-term. So, after talking with another co-worker, Detty decided to go into management.
“Ron Fewster interviewed me and asked when I wanted to start,” Detty said. “I went from crew to shift manager, then assistant manager, then general manager, to supervisor and finally HR in 2009.”
While working at the McDonald’s franchise, Detty has many memories. But she said the best has to be the ones with her crew and community.
“It’s nice when you’re out in the community, and you see somebody that has worked for you, and they’ve been very successful,” Detty said. “It’s just kind of rewarding to know that they went on and have done very well for themselves.”
Detty said being at McDonald’s for half a century has brought its fair share of adventures and crazy events, such as President Bill Clinton coming to the McDonald’s on Bridge Street, a crew member’s water breaking in the store, and plenty of interesting customers.
“We even had a guy come through the drive-through that was naked,” Detty said. “This happened in Circleville, and I asked the police if I needed to come down for a lineup or anything like that.”
On May 12, Detty received an award at the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce awards banquet in honor of her fifty years of serving the community with a smile and fries.
Though her time under the golden arches has come to a close, Detty said she has done far more than flip burgers and drop fries; she has helped people in the community and beyond. Throughout the seven stores the franchise owns, Detty has helped raise over half a million dollars for the Ronald McDonald House.
“Everyone laughed when I went to my class reunion, and asked if I was still flipping burgers for a living,” She said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m still flipping burgers for a living.’ But it’s not about the hamburgers, it’s about the community and what you learn along the way. I’ve always been proud of where I work.”
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Chillicothe McDonald’s worker takes off hat after 50 years on the job
Reporting by Destiny Torres, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
