Roland Parrish, the second-largest African-American franchisee of McDonald’s, has 24 restaurants in Dallas, TX, including the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Parrish was an All-American track and field athlete at Purdue University prior to starting his own business. During college, he was selected Most Valuable Player twice. Despite his athletic achievements, Parrish prioritized his studies.
Dr. Cornell A. Bell, the former director of the school’s Business Opportunity Program (BOP), guided him as he applied his athletic discipline to academics. In 1975, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and then pursued a master’s degree at Purdue University.
He spent 13 years at ExxonMobil before transitioning to McDonald’s to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Despite being first denied, he persevered, and his efforts eventually paid off.
After his application was granted, he invested $180,000 from his savings to open his first McDonald’s restaurant in Dallas’ Pleasant Grove neighborhood in 1989, as reported by The Dallas Business Journal.
Since then, he has opened 24 more McDonald’s stores in Dallas and the surrounding areas, making him the second-largest Black franchisee. In an interview with The Dallas Business Journal, he stated that his operations generated $116.1 million in sales in 2023. Furthermore, the value is expected to reach $125 million by 2025.
Aside from being a successful businessman, Parrish is also a philanthropist, having learned how to give back to society from his parents. Despite their financial limitations, his parents actively helped the community.
He has also helped his community with the Reimagining RedBird Mall Project, which is transforming an aging mall into a space for new retailers, medical offices, and higher-education classrooms. He also raised $150,000 through his charity to support student scholarships in impoverished places.
“You’ve got to go and give to the community,” Parrish added. “It’s embracing what my role is as a successful businessman in this community.”
In June, his charity work earned him the 95th Linz Award, an annual civic distinction bestowed by The Dallas Morning News. According to the media outlet, the award acknowledges community involvement and humanitarian actions that had a substantial impact on Dallas during the last decade.