A golden 40 years

The canary yellow McDonalds arches off Interstate 84 in Connecticut are the only things left of the original fast-food restaurant from the late...

The canary yellow McDonalds arches off Interstate 84 in Connecticut are the only things left of the original fast-food restaurant from the late 1960sa simpler time when hamburgers,fries and shakes were the only things on the menu.

Orders were taken behind actual windows,people ate their food in their cars and there was no such thing as a drive-through.

For Ray Aronson,these were his first days on the job. It was a lot smaller,and they had real cash registers,not computers, he says. And Richard Nixon was still president.

The morning of June 20,1969,at 19 years old,Aronson went to McDonalds looking for a job and started working that afternoon.

Forty years later,hes still taking orders. Bob Walsh,co-owner of the Vernon McDonalds,hired Aronson. Walsh says Aronson came in clean-cut,energetic and well-mannered.

Hes a real peoples person, Walsh says. The customers look forward to talking to him in the morning,and hes got a regular following.

Aronson works the 6 a.m. shift and has never arrived late or missed a shift. Every morning,he says,he wakes up at 1:45 a.m. just because it takes him a long time to get ready.

Story continues below this ad

Most days,Aronson works the drive-through window,his favourite place,taking orders,counting change and talking to every customer. Aronsons little quirks and special sayings for each customer have even given him a cult following.

Out of Jackson, he says,counting the bills hes given by what presidents face is there. I call the receipt Obama because he doesnt have a bill yet.

Aronson still takes vacations,he says,and once even rode his bike through New York to Philadelphia and back. In his spare time,he tracks the weather and keeps in touch with his pen pals.

But what Aronson is most known for is getting every customers day started right,says Mike Walsh,co-owner of the restaurant. Everybody walks away with a smile on their face, he says.

Story continues below this ad

Marielle Fogg,the restaurants general manager,says its easy to tell that Aronson loves his work. He loves the customers,and you couldnt ask for anything else, she says. Hes always in a good mood,and thats what you notice most about him.

Aronson says even after 40 years he has no plans to retire. He just wants to keep coming back to make customers and himself happy. I do my favourite job every day, he says.