Chris Valluzzo Has Special Interest in Central’s Newly-Remodeled McDonald’s

Ex-Crew Member at McDonald’s Stores Now Runs the Show At 27 Restaurants

CENTRAL — Baton Rouge area McDonald’s owner Chris Valluzzo is justifiably proud of the newly-renovated McDonald’s at the corner of Hooper and Lovett roads in Central.  After all, as a crew member at McDonald’s stores in the Baton Rouge area and former supervisor over the Central McDonald’s in the 1990’s, he has had lots of experience serving the people of Central.

Chris has a warm place in his heart for Central and expressed pride in the new Central School Complex going up on Sullivan Road.

“Central is such a great community, and you see that in the people and the great school system.  We are proud to be part of this community,” he said.

Chris Valluzzo is a third generation McDonald’s owner.  His grandfather, a retired dentist, started the first McDonald’s in the Baton Rouge area on Plank Road just south of Airline Highway in 1963.

Chris’ father, Charles Valluzzo, worked hard, expanded, and turned the local McDonald’s operation into a big business.

Now Charlie, Chris, and younger brother Patrick own 27 McDonald’s stores, and Chris runs the operation full-time.  Chris’ brother John owns 30 more McDonald’s stores.  The restaurants are located in the Baton Rouge area, the River Parishes, and Mississippi.

Chris, who grew up in the Broadmoor and Sherwood Forest areas, is a graduate of Catholic High, where he met one of his mentors, Coach Sid Edwards, now head coach at Central High.

“In those days, Catholic wasn’t as great a football power as it is today, but Coach Dale Weiner, Sid Edwards, and other members of the coaching staff really brought it into its own,” he said.

Chris is hoping Coach Sid will get him a Central High football jersey to mount in the Central McDonald’s.

Chris is proud that McDonald’s is sponsoring a new scoreboard for Central High’s Wildcat Stadium.  For Chris Valluzzo, the McDonald’s business is mostly about people.  “For those of us who’ve built this business, it’s about blood, sweat, and tears.  We all have ketchup in our veins!”  Indeed, the managers in Valluzzo’s 27 stores have an average of 17 years’ experience with the company, and many of them have 20 to 25 years.

“We’re really blessed by our people,” he said.  “We’ve been successful with homegrown people.  Bringing in people from outside the company hasn’t worked as well.”

“Our people start as crew members and work their way up through the company,” he said.  That, of course, was his route as well.

The key trait for people is character, Valluzzo said.  “We want people who are willing to pay the price and learn this business.  Over time, character reveals itself,” he said.

As a crew member in the old days, Chris would write up an order by hand, add up the total, and add the sales tax.  Later, everything was automated.  Today, the cash register displays pictures of the items being ordered.

Valluzzo cares a lot about our education system in Louisiana and says it is a challenge to find the right people to work.  “The people we need are out there.  We just have to work harder to find them,” he said.

“We look for people with the right skill set who can really focus on the customer.  The customer is the one who provides our paycheck.”

Looking to the future, Chris Valluzzo believes Central will continue to be a great market for McDonald’s and a great source of employees for many years to come.