Even the most accomplished individuals often begin their journeys in less glamorous roles, with many having worked at McDonald's flipping burgers and serving fries.
Many look back on their experiences at the fast-food giant with appreciation, noting the valuable skills they gained and continue to use throughout their careers. For instance, Kamala Harris worked at both the fry station and as a cashier during her college years and has shared what her favorite order is now. Here are 10 successful people who got their start at this iconic fast-food chain.
The Amazon founder and former CEO is one of the most renowned business leaders in the world and has amassed a fortune worth around $200 billion, currently making him the second richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The billionaire has often reflected on his first job at McDonald's as a 16-year-old where he worked the grill and flipped burgers.
"You can learn responsibility in any job if you take it seriously," Bezos told Wired in an interview. "You learn a lot as a teenager working at McDonald's. It's different from what you learn in school. Don't underestimate the value of that!"
The American television presenter and the former host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" worked at a McDonald's on Main Street in Andover, Massachusetts, in the 1960s.
Pano Christou, the current CEO of Pret a Manger who was paid close to $5 million for the year ending December 2021, said he started his career at McDonald's earning just $3 an hour.
Christou said in a recent interview that he "fell in love with hospitality" while working the shop floor at McDonald's when he was 16 years old.
The chief executive of homebuilding company Taylor Morrison first worked at McDonald's at the age of 15 and rose up the ranks to become the fast food giant's marketing manager in San Diego at the age of 20, she told The New York Times.
"Every 16-year-old should have to work at McDonald's because you really do learn how to work," she said. "You have to pull back the equipment and sweep behind. There are no shortcuts. You had to do it right because it was such a part of their brand. There were a lot of life lessons in that job."
The American politician and former speaker of the US House of Representatives has often touted his experience working at McDonald's in his youth.
"When I was flippin' burgers at McDonald's when I was standing in front of that big Hobart machine washing dishes or waiting tables, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life," he said in a speech in 2012.
He added: "I thought to myself, I'm the American dream on a path and journey so that I can find happiness however I can find it myself."
Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush said he worked as a manager at McDonald's when he was in college, per Forbes.
Carl Lewis has won nine Olympic gold medals during his time as a track and field athlete.
He later appeared in an ad for the chain that highlighted its successful former employees.
The American songwriter, actor, filmmaker, and playwright created hit Broadway musicals including Hamilton and In the Heights.
Miranda started out working at McDonald's when he was 14 years old, earning around $4.25 an hour. He worked the cash register and did deliveries for the chain, and this experience later went on to inspire a song he wrote.
An ad for Harris' presidential campaign this month declares, "She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald's while she got her degree."
At a recent rally, Harris also mentioned the gig, saying, "I had a summer job at McDonald's."
In a post on social media in May, Harris said "My McDonald's order hasn't changed much from when I did the fries."
"I would probably do quarter-pounder with cheese and fries," she told an interviewer, mentioning that she also worked as a cashier in addition to working the fry station.
Emhoff worked a McDonald's in high school, he said in a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.
"I still have the framed picture" from being an employee of the month, Emhoff said at the DNC.
"I waited tables and parked cars, working full-time so I could go to college part-time," he wrote in a Tuesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The now-second gentleman went on to attend law school and become a lawyer. This legal career led to an encounter with another big fast-food chain when he represented Taco Bell's former advertising agency in a lawsuit over the brand's Spanish-speaking chihuahua mascot.