Golden Chances: McDonald's to open more locations in Brownsville

McDonalds might be the biggest fast food franchise in the world, but in the Rio Grande Valley, the company has found room to grow.

Six billboards now advertise available positions at McDonalds' 51 locations in the Rio Grande Valley, including ten Brownsville restaurants. 

The company expects to open two more locations in Brownsville in the near future, according to Lisa Castillo, a spokesperson for the restaurant's Rio Grande Valley co-op. 

With those openings, more entry-level and management jobs will become available. 

"We're always hiring because we're always growing," said Anna Oquin, who owns six of Brownsville's McDonalds restaurants. 

The company's Web site, McTexas.com, advertises 23 available positions in the city, with wages starting at $5.85. The emphasis on online applications marks a change in the company's recruiting strategy. According to Jeff Schmatz, an account supervisor for McDonald's local co-op, the company is trying to become a more competitive employer in Brownsville, where recruiting workers is not as easy as it once was. 

"Fifteen years ago, there was an 18 percent unemployment rate," Schmatz said. "Now that it's down to 5 percent, the competition is a lot greater." 

Officials at the Brownsville Economic Development Council said that positions at McDonald's are not the kind of jobs the city is hoping to attract. 

But, according to Gilbert Salinas, director of marketing and communications at BEDC, low-paying service jobs are part and parcel of Brownsville's economic growth. 

"These aren't the jobs we're looking for in Brownsville," Salinas said, "but with growth in other industries comes a demand for other services." 

McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 31,000 local restaurants in more than 100 countries.