Owner Operator and Chief Human Resources OfficerDulcy Purcell
Dulcy began her career working at McDonald’s when she was 16 years old in Girard, PA. She quickly moved up to management and realized she had “ketchup in my veins.” Eventually, she moved to North Carolina and worked her way up to a GM.
Several years later, Dulcy met her wonderful husband, Bill. Between the two, they have five beautiful children, two of whom work with us. Dulcy then went through the process of becoming an Owner-Operator in 2013.
From Dulcy:“I have to say I never envisioned this is where I’d be, even though it was always a dream of mine. Thankfully, I have had the experience of working with some truly amazing people along the way, and I am so proud of all of our employees, especially our GMs and Supervisors, who work non-stop to keep our restaurants open and running top-notch! If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here!”Owner OperatorBill Purcell
Bill began his career working in McDonald’s restaurants in high school and college, mainly just to have “walking around” money, but quickly discovered that he enjoyed the work. It was a fast-paced environment full of interesting people and Bill decided then that he wanted to become an owner as his career.
With a lot of persistence and hard work, Bill bought his first restaurant at 26 years old. Over the years, Purcell Foods has grown a business into something to be very proud of, taking old… run-down restaurants and rebuilding them into wonderful facilities that our incredible business partners and employees run.
From Bill:
“I’m very proud that my wife and partner Dulcy became an approved Owner, and now our son Fox is going through the same certification process so that Purcell Foods can continue serving well into the future. We have always run our business with an open book to all our employees and spend most of our time and energy coaching and training our key employees to make great decisions just like they own their locations. We operate our business ethically and always strive to “do the right thing” for our employees and customers.”
- Chief Operating Officer
Mike Halder
“Many view McDonald’s as a fast-food brand. I can tell you from my almost 30 years with this company that it is much more than that… It is a rewarding career with great people, great benefits, and great potential.
Out of college, I took a job with a McDonald’s owner-operator in my hometown of San Diego in Jan of 1993. That’s where I met a young Bill Purcell who, like myself, looked to the future of what this brand had to offer. While there, I met and married my beautiful wife, Tracey. Soon after that, Bill was offered the opportunity to franchise and asked Tracey and me to join this bold adventure. Our first store was in the small town of Weiser, ID.
After a few successful years of operating that restaurant, we moved on to our next challenge in New Bern, NC. Since that time in 1998, we have continued to grow a successful business. None of this would be possible if not for all the wonderful people I have had the privilege to work with. I give thanks every day for being blessed with such an incredible team and cherish the opportunities this career has provided me and my family and the ability to have a positive influence on the lives of others.” 
Area SupervisorBobbie Jo Santus
“I am a Pennsylvania Native who started my foodservice career with McDonald’s in 1987 in the town of Indiana, Pennsylvania. In the Summer of 1989, I relocated with my Military Husband to Jacksonville, Florida, and continued my McDonald’s employment at Naval Air Station Cecil Field McDonald’s.
In May of 1990, my husband executed orders to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, where I began employment as a General Manager for the Boundary St, Beaufort McDonald’s.
I subsequently was promoted to Area Supervisor for multiple store locations. In 2011 we were stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, where I began my employment with Purcell Foods, but only as a part-time Manager. I was soon promoted to Area Supervisor and continue to serve in that capacity.”- Area Supervisor
Jean Simcox
“I started my career at McDonald’s in high school and was offered a management position shortly after graduation. I went through all the training classes, and became a General Manager in 1994 at the Havelock Greenfield location.
Throughout the years, I was also General Manager at various locations, Cape Carteret, Webb Blvd, Neuse Blvd. I was promoted to Supervisor September 2011 and currently supervise Washington NC, Grantsboro, and Greenfield locations. 
Area SupervisorJames Hamilton
“Hello, my name is James Hamilton. To start, I am a proud parent of a son and daughter. As a family, we love baseball and softball. We are outside practicing hitting and catching every chance we get, no matter what day it is. I will eat or try any kind of food…except for oysters.
Professionally, I started my career with McDonald’s as a crew person in 2001. I quickly worked myself up in the ranks and got promoted to supervisor for the Purcell Foods organization. I am truly grateful to work with the crew and engage with the managers daily to help ensure their job can be easier and better to provide gold standard customer service and grow our business.”- Area Supervisor
Fox Purcell
“I am the area supervisor at Cherry Point, Beaufort, Glenburnie Rd., and Swansboro locations. My goal is to become a second-generation owner of these restaurants and work in the stores off and on since I was eight years old.I graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati in 2018 with a BSBA in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Management. When my friends all went to work for various accounting firms, I decided to make cheeseburgers and haven’t looked back. I graduated from Hamburger University in 2019 and ran a store as a General Manager in 2020.As a supervisor, my focus is on serving guests and developing strong manager teams by goal setting and focusing on the customer experience to grow the business in the long term and better serve eastern North Carolina.”
