From Crew Member to Restaurant Owner: The story of a UK-based Ghanaian entrepreneur

A UK-based Ghanaian entrepreneur, Joey Antwi-Kusi has built a career spanning customer service, financial services, management consulting and franchise ownership.

Joey is a multi-unit McDonald’s franchisee who began his career with the fast-food company as a crew member, gaining early experience in customer service, restaurant operations and working with people.

He later moved into financial services, where he spent more than 15 years working on major projects across retail banking and consulting.

He also holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Wales.

After years in the corporate world, Joey returned to McDonald’s, this time as a franchisee, eventually progressing to become a multi-unit operator.

Today, he owns and operates three McDonald’s restaurants in East London and Brentwood.

His responsibilities extend beyond the day-to-day running of the restaurants. He reviews sales and labour figures, examines customer data and monitors the speed of service to assess the performance of his businesses.

He also holds meetings with business managers across his three restaurants to examine performance data, identify areas for improvement and determine how the businesses can achieve their targets.

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Joey spends time on the restaurant floor with his employees and business managers, assessing where his teams need support and challenging them to meet the targets set for the month.

His journey from a McDonald’s crew member to a multi-unit operator is also reflected in the experiences of those who worked with him early in his career.

One of his colleagues recalls that Joey completed his training with him when he joined the company and, about 12 months later, went on to buy the restaurant where he had worked.

The colleague describes Joey as a supportive employer who responds quickly and effectively when employees have needs.

For Joey, becoming a multi-unit McDonald’s operator represents the fulfilment of a dream he once shared with others.

“People didn’t believe me when I said to them that my dream was when they own multiple units of the McDonald’s franchise,” he said.

He also reflected on the significance of becoming a partner with a major global brand, particularly for people from backgrounds similar to his.

“People that look and talk like me normally do not get this opportunity to be partners with a fantastic brand like McDonald’s,” he said.

Achieving that dream, he added, has given him an opportunity to become a symbol and an inspiration to the hundreds of people who work for him.

Joey describes his approach to entrepreneurship as “Endless Hustle,” a phrase he says reflects waking up every day with a dream and going out to pursue it.

Watch Joey Antwi-Kusi speak about his entrepreneurial journey below:

Meet Joey Antwi-Kusi — UK-based Ghanaian entrepreneur and owner of three McDonald’s franchises.

He employs nearly 300 people. pic.twitter.com/2NGWbn7aXC

— CDR AFRICA (@cdrafrica) September 23, 2026