LANSING, Ill. (May 22, 2024) – Aiming to support family and community, the Lansing McDonald’s franchise has recently launched a series of fun, family-friendly events, aptly dubbed “Family Night.”
Beginning earlier this month, each Family Night will feature a different theme and include a special arts and crafts project, raffles, and exciting games of bingo (plus prizes) that the whole family can enjoy.
Lansing’s own McDonald’s location, which is part of the Tina’s Family McDonald’s ownership group, was inspired to implement the Family Night events by Randy Conn, a McDonald’s franchise owner/operator from Burbank, Illinois. Conn has been running a series of events called “Family Fun Night” for the last 15 years at his own McDonald’s locations. McDonald’s team member Peg Neuhaus created the program from scratch, successfully running it ever since.
“Jose Gutierrez, of Tina’s Family McDonald’s, heard about the events and wanted to develop something similar in his restaurants,” said Iliana Ramirez, Director of Community Partnerships at Beam Agency, a company that serves McDonald’s franchises. “Mr. Conn graciously let us come and learn from Peg; we [then] developed ‘Family Night’ with our own spin.”
Family Nights at McDonald’s
The Lansing McDonald’s hosted their very first Family Night on May 9. Attendees were invited to craft their own Mother’s Day-themed picture frame. The next Family Night was scheduled for May 23, and kids were able to create a spring bug mask.
The May 9 event was a huge hit, with children, parents, and grandparents joining in on the fun. Ramirez noted that everyone was engaged and enjoyed spending quality time together.
“Peg Neuhaus made an appearance and was so pleased to see how successful the first night was. These programs often take time to be successful,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said her goal is to support franchisees by implementing existing programs, like Coffee with a Cop or McTeacher’s Nights, while also designing, developing, and executing programs like Family Night and McJournal Night, along with additional outreach initiatives and coupon programs for the community.
“I help McDonald’s franchise owners/operators connect with their local communities. I support franchisees by … nurturing relationships with the important pillars of communities via schools, libraries, police departments, fire departments, and much more,” Ramirez explained.
Ramirez says that last year, special character events were hosted once per month at Tina’s Family McDonald’s, and she described Family Night as “a continuum of those events, now more frequently and engaging [for] all family members through craft making and bingo.”
June event crafts will include a Father’s Day-themed picture frame and a patriotic wand.
Family Night is scheduled for every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, meaning June events will take place on June 13 and June 27 from 5–7 p.m.
“This program would not be possible without the dedication, commitment, and funding of Jose and Tina Gutierrez of Tina’s Family McDonald’s,” Ramirez says. “This program is a true testament of their values as business owners and investors in families and community.”
The Lansing McDonald’s is located at 17810 Torrence Avenue.
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Nice and informative article about our local, Lansing, McDonalds. Happy to see this local franchise working so closely with the community and enjoyed the family pictures. Super!