McDonald’s locations in Poplar Bluff are changing hands.
Andi Hilburn-Vaini, originally of West Plains, has acquired locations in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, becoming the largest female McDonald’s owner/operator in the nation.
Hilburn-Vaini now has 28 of the restaurants, following the acquisitions in Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau and other Southeast Missouri towns.
Hilburn-Vaini is a second-generation operator and began her journey with McDonald’s at a very young age, according to a press release from the company. In 1980, her father, Larry Hilburn, became an approved franchisee and opened the first McDonald’s in a 100-mile radius in West Plains.
Hilburn-Vaini, a graduate of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, decided that after college, she wanted to try other career opportunities. But her twists and turns along the way always led her back to her roots at McDonald’s, the press release states.
Hilburn-Vaini purchased her first McDonald’s restaurant in 2010, where the family business began, West Plains. Over the next decade, she would acquire additional restaurants across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas bringing her total of McDonald’s to 14.
As of May 18, Hilburn-Vaini purchased 14 more McDonald’s restaurants in Southeast Missouri and Bootheel communities.
Hilburn-Vaini is proud of the strong partnerships within the communities she does business, according to the press release. From being a local partner in education, supporting health care, and Ronald McDonald House Charities, giving back is part of the Hilburn business philosophy, the company reports. Since 2020, the Hilburn-Vaini organization has raised more than $220,000 for RMHC through Round Up for RMHC, Penny for a Pound of Fries, Happy Meal contributions, Share a Heart, Red Shoe Gala and McDonald’s change donation boxes.
“I am proud of all we are able to do for Ronald McDonald House Charities and I value strong partnerships within the communities I do business,” Hilburn-Vaini said in a press release. “I look forward to supporting Poplar Bluff and the new areas I will now serve.”
Since becoming an owner/operator, Hilburn-Vaini has contributed over $100,000 in tuition assistance to her crew members and offers many benefits, according to the company.