The Leader Who Shows Style Is No Substitute For Substance

Business Today talks to Merrill Pereyra, CEO of QSR Brands, on how to think globally, act locally in the quick service restaurant industry

- Sharon Chang

Pereyra, CEO of QSR Brands, attributes his success, to tenacity and continuous learning. The driving force that pushes him beyond boundaries is his humble beginnings from a lower middle-class family.

He says, “Always saying yes to everything, always striving to improve, and always wanting to succeed. I do not want to end up where I started.”

Born in India, Pereyra, went to a hotel school in Mumbai and worked as a trainee chef in the kitchen and later, as a catering manager in an oil rig. Wanting to excel, he leaves India to seek better opportunities. The United States was a better choice than Australia, but he has no friends or family there.

NEW FRONTIERS

In 1987, Pereyra arrives in Australia. Then, times were tough, and he hated it, as he did not have any friends and had to adapt to the culture and norms of a different country.

“Thinking that with a diploma in hospitality, it will be easy to get a job in the hotel industry as a trainee manager, but I was told I needed to have Australian experience,” Pereyra recollects.

“So, I decided to start from the bottom like a concierge or a cook, to which they said I was over-qualified. I did not have the experience to start as a trainee manager and was overqualified to start at the bottom. Should I pack my bags and go back to India?”

But, Pereyra persevered. Those days, the only people hiring were the fast-food companies. So, Pereyra applies to McDonald’s for the position as a trainee manager, thinking in a few years something better will come along.

McDonald’s was going through a 90 percent management turnover. They could not retain their managers, not because the managers’ job was difficult, but at that level, they are not paid for the extra hours they put in. They work for twelve to fourteen hours a day, and they were burnt out.