For many transitioning service members, charting a post-military career path can be daunting. For U.S. Army veteran Roy Smith, however, the values instilled by military service including leadership, people development, and disciplined structure, found a natural, lifelong home under the Golden Arches.
This Veterans Day, local McDonald’s franchise organization Awad Family McDonald’s celebrates Roy, an Area Supervisor overseeing restaurants across North Carolina, including locations in Lincolnton, West Franklin, and Lake Norman. With two decades of dedicated military service and a McDonald’s career spanning 40 years, Roy exemplifies the powerful synergy between service to the nation and leadership in business.
Growing up in Cana, Virginia, Roy was inspired to serve by a rich family legacy that included his grandfather’s service in World War I and his father’s time in the Army. Roy first joined McDonald’s in 1986 as a crew member working the kitchen grill. By 1989, answering the call to serve, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving active duty until 2000, followed by nine years in the Army Reserves through 2009.
His military career took him across the globe from training at Fort McClellan and Aberdeen Proving Ground to deployments in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, Fort Wainwright in Alaska, Fort Eustis, Fort Knox, and South Korea.
“The military was probably the best thing I ever did,” said Smith. “It took me from a small town where you don’t know anything and gave me the chance to experience the world. It taught me an appreciation for different cultures, and it taught me how to build and develop people, which is essential both in the military and in business.”
Following the passing of his father, Roy transitioned into the Army Reserves to return home to North Carolina and re-entered the McDonald’s system as an assistant manager. Over the following years, he advanced rapidly, serving as General Manager, Corporate Area Supervisor, and Training Manager overseeing a dozen regional stores before joining Awart in mid-2026.
Roy notes that the transition between the military and McDonald’s felt completely seamless due to shared foundational values.
“In the military, we had a saying: ‘We’re all green.’ At McDonald’s, that easily became: ‘We’re all golden’. Both organizations are built on structure, diversity, and developing people for the future. Sometimes people underestimate what McDonald’s can offer veterans, but military personnel excel here because the foundation is so similar.”
Roy’s journey also highlights the comprehensive benefits McDonald’s provides to its workforce and veterans. When Roy was deployed for nearly a year following September 11, 2001, McDonald’s supported his transition and welcomed him back seamlessly.
Furthermore, leveraging McDonald’s tuition assistance initiative, Archways to Opportunity, combined with his military education benefits, Roy completed both his Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Business Management from Liberty University at zero out-of-pocket cost.
“Both the military and McDonald’s have taken incredible care of me throughout my life,” Roy added. “Having organizations that invest in your education, support your service, and give you the room to mentor others has made all the difference.”
Today, as Area Supervisor, Roy dedicates his time to mentoring restaurant managers and developing frontline teams, ensuring that the next generation of leaders has the tools and structure needed to achieve their own success.
