In the late 1970s, George Yang didn’t come from one of the Philippines’ major conglomerates. He and his wife Kristine were running a modest jewelry business, Christine Jewellery, when he set his sights on something wildly ambitious: bringing McDonald’s to the country.
“He wrote to McDonald’s to ask about getting the franchise here,” his son Kenneth Yang, now CEO of Golden Arches Development Corp., recalls. “McDonald’s replied—maraming rejection. McDonald’s didn’t even understand the Philippines.”
But George Yang was persistent. Every time they turned him down, he simply waited—and wrote again. Then, a turning point.
“One time, he was eating somewhere… he ordered a hamburger from a local [place] and they were using McDonald’s or something,” Kenneth says. “He took the wrapper and sent it to McDonald’s. He said, ‘Hey, you guys better register your name in the Philippines because your trademarks are being used.’”
That bold move finally got their attention.
The Underdog They Didn’t Expect
At the time, McDonald’s was looking for international partners—but mostly big names. “They also looked for other… they had many applicants—mainly the conglomerates, I think,” Kenneth shares. “But definitely, he was the smallest fry.”
Despite that, George Yang stood out. “McDonald’s looked for partners at that time who are entrepreneurs, who are willing to invest their 100% of their time,” Kenneth says. “Capital is not that important to McDonald’s… they wanted someone who will operate the business, not just invest.”
To prove how serious he was, George Yang took it a step further—he trained on the ground.
“He went to Hong Kong for McDonald’s exposure through his friend,” Kenneth recalls. “He was accommodated there… he was undergoing some training—not official training, but exposure in the store as a crew, running it.”
In fact, Kenneth joined him. “He brought me along. I was 15 years old… one of the crew members there, learning how to cook burgers and serve the customers.”
At that point, McDonald’s hadn’t awarded him anything. “There were no commitments yet at that time,” Kenneth says. But his father’s initiative made an impression.
“They saw the sincerity, the passion, the seriousness, and the commitment,” he adds. “I think that’s what convinced McDonald’s.”
The First Store—and the First Breakthrough
After numerous attempts and a long process of proving his capability, George Yang finally brought the iconic American brand to Philippine shores.
“McDonald’s was founded by my father in September 1981,” Kenneth says. The first branch opened in Morayta, Manila. At the time, it was a joint venture between the Yang family and McDonald’s USA. “McDonald’s was majority [owner],” Kenneth explains.
But that would change years later.
Becoming an All-Filipino Company
In 2005, the Yang family, together with Andrew Tan’s Alliance Global, bought out McDonald’s USA’s stake.
“That’s when we became an all-Filipino company,” Kenneth says. “My father—together with Alliance Global—bought [McDonald’s shares]. Our family is [now] majority… Alliance Global owns 49%.”
Why the change?
“It was quite challenging to run the business as a joint venture,” Kenneth explains. “McDonald’s had their way of running things… my father felt that he could run it better. Sometimes, they weren’t aligned.”
With full ownership came full flexibility. “When we had full control of the company, then we had the ability to be more… according to what we saw the market required. That’s when we were able to really decide 100% what to do.”
A Business Built on Grit and Values
Looking back, Kenneth Yang says the most important lessons he learned from his father boil down to three things: persistence, customer focus, and people development.
“Times will always not always be good,” he says. “You have to have persistence and also resilience to continue and drive harder.”
Above all, his father’s legacy wasn’t just about burgers. It was about grit—the kind that wins not because it’s big, but because it never backs down.
