Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2016 | Page 22

P RO AT H L E T E
BY KERRY PIPES

The 5th Quarter

V

NFL vet Van Jakes: Who have I helped today?

an Jakes played cornerback in the
NFL for eight years, routinely pestering receivers up and down the
field while playing for the Kansas
City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Green
Bay Packers. Jakes says he enjoyed
playing football at the professional
level and thrived on the competition.
When it came time to retire from
the game in 1991, he wasn’t looking
to sit back and take it easy.
He felt that there was more
to do. The budding entrepreneur started investigating business
opportunities that eventually led
him to franchising, and finally
to the McDonald’s brand.

“I knew I wasn’t done building my nest
egg,” says the 54-year-old Jakes. “And I
wanted to be a good steward of my financial
resources.” But, he says, he didn’t foresee
himself doing so by opening “Van Jakes’
Hamburger Stand.” That’s
because he had researched
small independent businesses and discovered that
only a small percentage of them
actually make it on
their own. That’s when
the door to franchising
opened wide for him. He
walked through and hasn’t
looked back.
His first McDonald’s
was in Palm Harbor,
Fla., and opened in

August 1994. Two years later, he invested in
four more restaurants in the Atlanta area,
where he lives. Today he operates three
McDonald’s in the Greater Atlanta area.
He’s the former president of the National
Black McDonald’s Operators Association
Atlanta chapter and founder of the Jake 22
Management Company.
As a franchisee, he understands the importance of being a part of his community.
“I have been operating in Atlanta for 21
years, providing jobs, offering great customer service, and serving hot, fresh food.
This is something we live by,” he says. His
company has been involved in the Wheels
of Dreams Youth Foundation, working with
high school juniors and seniors to provide
mentoring and educational opportunities.
He also has developed a program
that allows college students to

NAME: Van K. Jakes
TITLE: Owner/operator
COMPANY: Jake 22 Management Company
NO. OF UNITS: 3 McDonald’s
AGE: 54
FAMILY: Wife Chrystal, 4 children: Leigh, VJ II,

Jasmine, and Jordan
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 23
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 23

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