A 30-year-old entrepreneur has become England’s youngest McDonald’s franchisee thanks to a six-figure funding package from HSBC UK.
Chirag Pandya, who owns CJP Group Operations, will operate the McDonald’s restaurant on Castle Bridge Road, Nottingham having completed McDonald’s franchise training program earlier this year.
He has used the six-figure funding package from HSBC UK to purchase the 450 sqm site, which serves an average of 1,600 customers per day. Across its two floors, it has a seated capacity of 150, features a ‘drive thru’ and a 40-space car park.
As the business grows, the new owner plans to take on up to 50 new staff members, alongside the 120 he has currently, as well as expanding its apprenticeship programme to support young people in the local community. In the coming years, the business also intends to fund a refurbishment to modernise the space.
It is somewhat of a career change for Chirag, who professionally trained as a pharmacist before he left for the city of London as a strategy consultant for PwC. He was then headhunted to become a director at the NHS in the UK, at the age of 27. Chirag then moved from London to Birmingham and then to Nottingham within 12 months to see the culmination of his hard work, with his very own business.
Chirag Pandya, Owner of CJP Group Operations, said: “While I trained as a pharmacist, I knew I always wanted to own my own business. I spoke about my ambitions with HSBC UK Franchise Director Marc Talbot almost two years ago now, and now this deal has made my dream a reality.
“After completing the challenging, but rewarding, McDonalds franchise programme, I can finally say I’ve taken the leap from pharmacy to finance, to fries, and I’m loving it!
“I look forward to improving the restaurant and working with the local community to create more work experience opportunities for young people in the area.”
Judy Jenner, Relationship Manager at HSBC UK, added: “It is wonderful to support CJP Group Operations to acquire this site. CJP’s plan to increase apprenticeships and create more jobs in the area presents a brilliant opportunity for both the business and the community it now serves.”
