You can be sure that Lindsay Wallin, owner- operator of the McDonald’s restaurant on Boston Street, will be considered for the prestigious Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year Award.
When the pandemic hit last year, Wallin knew she wanted to do something to support her crew, and her community, through the challenging times. From allowing team members to bring food home to their families after a shift to paying an extra dollar an hour, Lindsay did what she could to alleviate the building stress of the coronavirus situation.
In her community, despite closed in-restaurant dining areas, Lindsay sought new ways to bring the McDonald’s magic back to children and families in her community. On Halloween, she organized drive-thru trick or treating events at her restaurants to provide a safe but exciting event for the local children.
“Since I became an operator, opening my first store with a newborn on my arm, I’ve thought about my business from a mother’s perspective,” she says. “Along the way, I’m always looking to find ways McDonald’s could support parents and children in our communities – and I couldn’t be more grateful to have the support from my crew behind me.”
Wallin, who resides in Lynnfield with her two children, officially became the owner of the McDonald’s on Boston Street in early 2020. In the past years, she had been operating the Lynn restaurant which was previously owned by her father, Bob King.
“I’ve been running the restaurant for awhile, so I was already familiar with the restaurant and with the people, so it was not a super-tough transition, but the pandemic made it tricky, for sure,” said Wallin.
A graduate of Winchester High School and renowned Babson College, a school known for its superb business curriculum, Wallin also owns eight other McDonald’s restaurants on the North Shore, including the two on Route 1 (North and South) in Saugus.
McDonald’s on Boston Street stayed open throughout the pandemic.
“We closed the restaurant for dine-in and takeout at first, but kept the drive-thru operating the whole time,” recalled Wallin. “We also had delivery, which is actually a very big part of our business in Lynn.”
Recognizing the stresses caused by the pandemic to her employees and customers, Wallin felt one of the most helpful things she could do was to allow her employees to take home a meal for their families at the end of their shift.
“It was just one less thing for people to worry about, with grocery shopping and the availability of food and all that at the beginning of the pandemic – it seemed like something that we could very easily do to help them out,” said Wallin.
A mother of two children (ages 10 and 12), Wallin said her experience as a parent “helped me a lot to recognize what parents need and how we can better serve our employees and our customers. As a parent, I was able to see a lot of things that were helpful to them. While it was a challenge, it really helped me a lot in recognizing that.”
Wallin has been a generous contributor to the Lynn schools. Fundraising nights, in which a portion of sales go to the school, have been very successful.
“We’ve done a lot of what we call ‘Teachers Nights’ with the Lynn Woods and the Harrington Schools – basically we give 20 percent of sales back to the schools,” said Wallin. “Of all my nine stores, the Lynn fundraisers are always the most successful. And we love to give back. Anytime anyone asks us to do anything, we always say, ‘Why not?’ – that’s kind of our go-to response. We look forward to doing more with Lynn as schools start to reopen.”
Business has been very good at her McDonald’s in Lynn, which should only increase as crowds (hopefully) return for sporting events at nearby Manning Field and Fraser Field.
“Lynn is my highest-volume store, it has the most potential and I do look forward to growing it even more,” said Wallin.
And the city of Lynn is fortunate to have its midst, Lindsay Wallin – a philanthropic businesswoman and an authentic role model for aspiring female business owners everywhere.