Local McDonald’s team enjoys its Olympic events

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

The most popular item at the Olympic Village McDonald's the two weeks before the Games began was the Big Mac, but ordering the fries on the side wasn't always easy.

"Some people from other countries call french fries 'frees,' " said Jessica Romero, who was part of a regional crew selected to open the McDonald's at the Olympic Village and media center for the Winter Games.

"Initially we didn't understand what they were ordering. They'd say frees -- sounding like freeze -- and we'd ask parfait? And they'd say, no, frees. Then we'd point to the menu and ask this? This? This?"

Romero, a 21-year-old swing manager of a McDonald's on West Charleston Boulevard was one of seven Las Vegans who were given the honor of setting up the restaurants that over the next two weeks will serve free meals to athletes and officials.

Romero was joined in Salt Lake City by Myleen Victory, a 26-year-old swing manager at the McDonald's at Decatur Boulevard and Lone Mountain Road.

Victory, who is Asian, said every time the crew had difficulty understanding what the Chinese athletes were trying to order, they would turn to her.

"I'd say, 'Don't ask me to translate, I'm Filipino. I don't know what they are saying,' " she said. "Still, we learned a lot about the importance of teamwork to serve so many people of different backgrounds."

Romero, Victory and other support crew members were replaced this week by a crew of 400 "gold medal" McDonald's workers, who were selected from 1.3 million workers in 29,000 restaurants in 121 nations.

Two of the seven local McDonald's representatives were gold medal winners: Jose Martinez and Chrystal Ferguson. The other three local support workers who returned home last week were Stephanie Willis, Stacey Bragg and Lizabeth Nagle.

The menu for the athletes is limited, but mostly for convenience, not necessarily because of nutrition concerns like fat content.

For instance, the fish fillet sandwich as well as breakfast sandwiches featuring biscuits and bagels are not on the menu. However, crispy chicken sandwiches, Big Macs, soups and breakfast sandwiches such as the Egg McMuffin are.

"The concern was to have the favorite foods that people recognize -- foods that reminded them of the flavor of home," Las Vegas regional office spokesman Steve Chavez said. "It was a combined effort between McDonald's and organizers."

Most of the customers at the Olympic Village McDonald's the first week were international athletes because the U.S. team had not yet arrived.

Romero said the majority of athletes ordered Big Macs, while a great many of the Chinese team members liked crispy chicken sandwiches. "They sought foods that were high in protein," she said.

McDonald's says it will serve an average of 5,000 hamburgers a day to athletes, coaches, officials and news media at the Olympic Village and more than 1 million sandwiches at the 100 McDonald's citywide during the games.

Romero and Victory, who were paid their regular wages for the setup operation, were invited back to work three days alongside the gold medal workers and see an event. Romero said she wants to view an ice hockey game, while Victory would like to spend some time at the figure skating venue.

McDonald's first became an Olympic sponsor in 1976. This is the fourth games at which McDonald's has served as the official restaurant.