Aldridge McDonald's franchise owner and charity fundraiser given MBE at Buckingham Palace

Prince William appointed Douglas as an MBE after he was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list following the Platinum Jubilee for ‘services to the Economy and Charity in the West Midlands'.

Doug employs more than 2,500 people and was lauded for building a restaurant from scratch in Perry Barr in time for the Commonwealth Games when other major projects were beset by delays.

His six-year role as chairman for Ronald McDonald House, which gives parents of children at Birmingham Children's Hospital a place to stay, was also part of the reason he was appointed an MBE.

He said: “Being presented with an MBE for ‘Services to the Economy and Charity in the West Midlands’ is a great honour for myself and my family and I’d like to thank everybody across the business community who has been so generous with their time, advice and support along the way.

"I take great pride in being committed to the local communities around our restaurants and look forward to continuing to help contribute towards making them even better places to live and work."

The MBE not only highlights the vital role Doug plays in the communities in which he operated but also Doug’s commitment to working with local businesses, often as a mentor or special advisor. As a Board Member for the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Doug spends a lot of time with local businesses and during the pandemic, he was able to help them navigate new government initiatives, whilst managing the safe operation of his own stores. Videos and podcasts that he has contributed to have been viewed thousands of times and are still helping these businesses today.

In 2016, Doug was recognised as one of the best Franchisees in our global system after being the recipient of the prestigious Fred L Turner Golden Arch Award, the highest accolade in the global McDonald’s empire.