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How One McDonald's Family Built 13 Restaurants on a Single Rule: Call Your Accountant First
Joel and Linda Pellicci have been McDonald's owner-operators since 1977, starting in a small North Carolina town — where Joel opened what may be the last McDonald's ever built without a drive-thru — before building a 13-restaurant business in Myrtle Beach with their son, Joel Jr.
Years in Business
Linda and Joel have operated McDonald's restaurants since 1977 — nearly five decades.
Restaurants
The Pellicci family operate 13 restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area.
Rule
Through it all, Joel has one rule that's guided every decision: call your accountant first.
Client Description
Joel and Linda Pellicci have been McDonald's owner-operators since 1977, starting their journey in the small town of Lewisburg, North Carolina — where Joel opened what may be the last McDonald's ever built without a drive-thru. Since 1984, the family has operated in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina market, where they now run 13 restaurants alongside their son, Joel Jr.
Across nearly five decades in the business, the Pelliccis have relied on advisors who genuinely understand the McDonald's system — not just accounting in general, but the specific complexity of running a McDonald's franchise well.
The Challenge
The McDonald's brand alone doesn't guarantee success — running a profitable, well-managed restaurant business takes financial guidance that goes beyond the basics, especially as the industry landscape continues to shift. The Pellicci's needed advisors who understood not just accounting, but the McDonald's business specifically: where trends were heading, what changes were coming, and what their family's goals actually were.
It took time for Linda and Joel to fully internalize a lesson that's now core to how they operate: never make a major decision — buying property, making a big purchase, anything — without calling their accountant first.
"Having people that are familiar with what it takes to make a business work, to advise you financially of some of the things you might not even have been thinking about, is a blessing."
— Joel and Linda Pellicci, McDonald's Owner-Operators, Myrtle Beach, SC
The Kelly+Partners Approach
What sets their advisors apart, according to Linda and Joel, is a combination of deep competence and genuine devotion to the people they work with. When their accountants don't immediately know an answer, they investigate until they do — and their advice has consistently proven sound enough that the Pellicci's credit it directly with their success.
That relationship isn't one-directional. Sometimes it's their advisors who reach out first — flagging an account worth reviewing, or a shift worth making — rather than waiting to be asked. For a family juggling the day-to-day demands of running 13 restaurants, having a financial partner who stays ahead of changes in the McDonald's landscape, and proactively brings them up, has made all the difference.
Ready to get started?
It starts with a conversation. At Kelly+Partners, we deliver expert advice tailored to your personal, business, wealth, and estate needs—backed by structured systems and year-round support.
