Stéphane Piot has been developing the American McDonald’s franchise in Ariège and even beyond for almost 30 years. Portrait of this 62-year-old entrepreneur at the head of seven restaurants in this department.
If this statistic remains unofficial, since this number comes mainly from the fact that the department is as vast as it is sparsely populated, the 62-year-old man did not expect or desire to be at the head of seven “Mcdo” in Ariège and a total of ten.
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“We had the worst turnover in the entire Southwest”
On July 6, 1996, a man who grew up in Lyon and studied Science PO Paris before starting his professional career in finance opened the first McDonald’s in Ariège in Pamiers. The desire to enter the fast food sector that came true: “In 1993 I was commissioned to study the establishment of a fast food restaurant based on South American chicken. I told myself that it was unlikely to work. Then I studied the same for the famous Taco brand, but it was premature. After three years of research and study, I’m finally going to the franchise show to apply to McDonald’s.
From there everything happened very quickly, in 1995 the American brand contacted Stéphane Piot and asked him in which sector and for how long he planned to be a franchisee. Then I simply replied, ‘In France and until retirement’. An honest answer that was liked because a year later the first business that was tagged was launched. Stéphanie Piot then goes “All in” and puts in all her savings, i.e. 170,000 euros, and takes out a loan to afford the right to have her first “McDonald’s”.
He then moved to a small apartment in Varlhes. “At first it didn’t work at all. We had the worst turnover in the entire Southwest,” recalls the entrepreneur. He was even the one who went to Smectom to bring trash and save money. And while he had no plans to open any more, his bank suggested he invest in the Foix property in 1999.
Two restaurants near the RN 20 that allow him to find his cruising speed even after a difficult start. Locations that contrast with the Saint-Lizier location he bought from another franchisee on the brink of financial collapse. “There were a lot of enemies. The restaurant was burned down during construction and, above all, it didn’t work at all. Then McDonald’s asked me to take it over. I gave the funds and doubled the staff, extended the hours and increased the service.”
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More than 500 permanent jobs
After opening Verniolle in 2011, his fourth McDonald’s in Ariège, his fifth overall with Cazères (Haute-Garonne), Stéphane Piot decided to stop setting up new restaurants because “large establishments of 500 m² would not be viable in smaller towns.
However, in 2017, the American franchise introduced a new, more compact building with an area of 300 m². “We decided to open four in five years with Laroque d’Olmes in 2017, Ur (Pyrénées-Orientales) in 2019, Saverdun in 2020 and Tarascon in 2022.” An aggressive policy that he explains: “My primary goal has always been to create jobs where there are not many, and even ahead of profitability goals.”
In less than 30 years, the 62-year-old man has enabled more than 500 people to find work thanks to these ten McDonald’s (7 in Ariège and 3 outside the department). “It’s a source of pride that we have a company that has so many permanent employees in areas without much impetus for job creation.” With this desire, Stéphane Piot finally decided to expand the presence of the American fast food chain.
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After opening his tenth restaurant in December 2023 in Carbonne, Haute-Garonne, Stéphane Piot continues his growth despite sometimes difficult financial management with inflation. Above all, an entrepreneur likes to see how his employees develop over the years in his company. This is especially the case with Malika Soulan, who started at 18 as a versatile team member and has been a market director for two years. “He’s kind of my right-hand man. It’s important to have solid teams around me who anticipate problems. Because my management is completely different now that I have ten McDonald’s.”
At the age of 62, Stéphane Piot is a business leader who is delighted to have brought so much to Ariège. “Ultimately, it’s a local business. Only the franchise is American.”
“We already have competition outside of Ariège”
In 2024, Stéphane Piot will have a competition in Ariège for the first time. Next September, the first Burger King restaurant will open in Foix. Above all, only a hundred meters will separate them, in the Peysales area. However, this challenge does not scare him because he already knows this situation, especially in Cazères or Carbonne, where he also owns two McDonald’s: “It is true that we already have competition outside of Ariège. they’re more confident.”
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Its market director Malika Soulan explains the optimism: “We focus on ourselves, on the care we provide to our customers and our teams. We will go even further in this direction.”
Clearly, the desire is not to wage a price war or promotional offers. “The idea, whether there is competition or not, is to remain available to our customers,” says Stéphane Piot. “We have to be able to respond to difficulties with purchasing power. When we do promotion, it is for the customers and it has nothing to do with the competition. Promotions for our products were long before we had competition.”
It seems that the arrival of Burger King does not destabilize the business leader, on the contrary. This future installation in Foix even seems to challenge him and give him the desire to show the quality of McDonald’s service and teams.