Successful Entrepreneur Serves Up Fast Food

McDonald’s franchisee Dick Shalhoub at one of his McDonald’s locations in Temecula.

Shane Gibson photos

Successful Entrepreneur Serves Up Fast Food Throughout The Temecula Valley

Dick Shalhoub is one of Riverside County’s most notable business owners. As the owner of 33 McDonald’s located throughout Riverside County, Shalhoub is known as not only a successful entrepreneur, but also as a generous philanthropist and community activist.

Shalhoub, who began his career with McDonald’s in 1984, was raised in Los Angeles and is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles with degrees in Finance and Management. He also holds a degree from the prestigious Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.

Shalhoub said he was persuaded to go through the McDonald’s training program by some of the company’s executives and the rest, as they say, is history.

Upon completing his training, Shalhoub was sent to the Coachella Valley where he operated three McDonald’s restaurants, one in Palm Springs, one in Cathedral City and one in Palm Desert. Now, nearly 40 years later, Shalhoub owns and operates 15 McDonald’s throughout the Inland Empire, along with 18 in the desert.

While he resides in Indian Wells, some of his McDonald’s restaurant locations include those here in Temecula and Murrieta where he is directly responsible for all phases of operations including training, administration, marketing, finance and project development.

Shalhoub said he learned a lot from McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and CEO Fred Turner who both stressed the importance of goals and values in creating successful long-term businesses.

Shalhoub visits all of his restaurants regularly, knows “ most of his employees by name and chats with regular customers. He is very motivated to help the next generation to improve continually and to think and act creatively.”

He used those lessons to further his own successes which have allowed him to generously give back to the community by supporting numerous organizations through leadership positions on boards and commissions on numerous nonprofit organizations including the Palm Springs Air Museum, the Palm Desert Living Desert & Zoo, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center and Dogs For Our Brave.

In addition to serving on several McDonald’s boards and committees, Shalhoub, who is the current president of the McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California, has also spent time serving on boards and commissions with numerous organizations including as Board Member for Palm Springs Art Museum, Director of Canyon National Bank in Palm Springs, Chairman of the Audit, Compensation, Compliance and Marketing Committees and as Vice Chairman of the Agua Caliente Development Authority which owned and operated the Spa Hotel in Palm Springs and various other Tribal investments.

Shalhoub has also served as President of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the Palm Springs Desert Museum Board of Trustees, the Palm Springs Main Street Association, the City of Palm Springs Budget Committee, the Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, the Olive Crest Foundation, F.I.N.D. and was vice president of the City of Palm Springs 50th Anniversary Committee, just to name a few.

Shalhoub once told Coachella Valley Weekly that what keeps him engaged is the challenge of working in a complex population of all ages with differing regional tastes, economic disparity and food preferences, complicated by a difficult legislative landscape.

He visits all of his restaurants regularly, knows most of his employees by name and chats with regular customers. He is very motivated to help the next generation to improve continually and to think and act creatively, he said, adding that he rewards those who share their creations with him.

Shalhoub is the winner of numerous awards for his exceptional store operations. In 1990, Dick received the prestigious Ronald Award and was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce.

Dick Shaloub, owner of over 30 McDonald’s restaurants has been a franchisee with the fast food chain for nearly 40 years.