NOVEMBER CONCEPT

Tanya Hill-Holliday knows the value being prepared to make a strategic move. So she seized the moment when presented with the chance to expand her business opera- tions. In March, she acquired two McDonald’s restaurants in Bensalem and Hatboro that were formerly operated by another busi- ness owner.

“I had an opportunity to pick up a restau- rant from an operator who retired and/or left the business,” said Hill-Holliday, who is Philadelphia’s first Black female McDon- ald’s franchisee. “It’s about preparation and opportunity and I went for it. You always have to be ready, so you don’t have to get ready.” The businesswoman went from serving customers as a McDonald’s crew member to becoming the largest Black-owned McDonald’s franchise owner in the Philadelphia region. In 2009, Hill-Holliday became the first African-American woman to own a McDonald’s in Philadelphia when she purchased two restaurants on City Line Avenue. She currently owns 12 McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. In December 2020, she expanded into South Philadelphia and acquired the restaurant located at 24th Street and Oregon Avenue. And in 2018, Hill-Holliday became the first African American woman to own a McDonald’s in Allentown. She recently remodeled six of her locations, which have been outfitted with self-ordering kiosks. And plans are in the works to knock down and rebuild her recently acquired Bensalem location. Working with financial institutions throughout the years has been instrumental to Hill-Holliday’s success as a businesswoman. She’s had a relationship for with Beneficial Bank for about seven years, which she retained when the financial institution was integrated into WSFS Bank. “The financials are the foundation of a business and so the relationship is huge,” Hill-Holliday said. “I’ve had a very good longstanding relationship. It is one that if I need to pick up the phone and call, I feel free to do that. I feel comfortable to do that.”