Oklahoma/Kansas/Missouri – Long-standing McDonald’s Owner/Operator Glen Nichols is marking 35 years with the global restaurant brand, celebrating a career that has combined business growth, family legacy and a sustained commitment to community service across three US states.
Nichols’ milestone highlights more than three decades of work expanding his McDonald’s operations while supporting local education, youth sport and charitable initiatives in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Together with his wife, Elizabeth, and their family, Nichols has built a 31-restaurant organisation known as much for its civic involvement as its commercial success.
From the outset, the Nichols family has made community engagement central to its business model. Over the years, they have sponsored local youth sports leagues, supported schools and contributed to a range of charitable programmes. Their philanthropic work includes long-term backing for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which provides accommodation and essential services to families of children receiving medical care across the region. The family’s consistent support of education initiatives also reflects Nichols’ own professional background as an academic and administrator before entering the restaurant industry.
From Education to Enterprise
Nichols’ route into business ownership was an unconventional one. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, he earned a Doctorate in Education and began his career as a teacher and later Superintendent in Magnolia, Arkansas. It was during his time in education that he met his future wife, Elizabeth, and together they began planning a venture that would provide both security and opportunity for their young family.
By the late 1980s, while continuing his work as a school superintendent during the day, Nichols began studying the McDonald’s franchise model in the evenings. His diligence and work ethic soon translated into a major professional shift. In 1990, with their first child, Thomas, just a year old, Glen and Elizabeth pooled their savings to purchase their first McDonald’s restaurant in Butler, Missouri—a decision that would lay the foundation for their family’s future enterprise.
“It was a bold leap of faith—one that would shape the course of their lives,” Nichols reflected.
Expanding Across the Midwest
Through perseverance and an unwavering focus on quality and service, the Nichols family transformed that initial restaurant into the cornerstone of a growing operation. By 1998, the family expanded further, acquiring three more McDonald’s outlets in Pittsburg, Kansas, and establishing deep roots in the community where their sons, Thomas and Jon, would grow up.
A decade later, in 2008, Nichols led another major expansion, purchasing six additional restaurants, including five in Joplin, Missouri, and one in Webb City. That same year, Thomas Nichols completed his education at Pittsburg High School and began preparing to join the family business. Following in his father’s footsteps, Thomas attended the University of Arkansas, where he earned a degree in Operational Management before enrolling in McDonald’s Next Generation Program—a comprehensive leadership and ownership course for second-generation operators.
In 2019, Thomas Nichols officially joined the McDonald’s Owner/Operator network, helping to manage and guide the family’s 31-restaurant enterprise. Today, the Nichols organisation operates across Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, continuing to expand while maintaining the same principles of service and community involvement that have defined it from the beginning.
A Family Legacy Continues
Reflecting on his 35-year journey, Glen Nichols said:
“When Elizabeth and I opened our first restaurant, our dream was simple, to build something lasting for our family and to serve our community with pride. Thirty-five years later, seeing Thomas take the reins and continue that mission is the greatest reward of all.”
For Nichols, the milestone represents more than a business anniversary. It underscores the enduring value of family-led enterprise and long-term investment in local communities. His progression from educator to entrepreneur illustrates how skills in leadership, mentorship and development can transcend sectors.
As the Nichols family celebrates their 35th year in business, their success story continues to inspire the next generation of McDonald’s Owner/Operators. The combination of family values, community involvement and operational excellence has made their franchise group a recognised presence across the Midwest and a model of sustained local engagement.
