Costa Enterprises McDonald’s Celebrates Four Employee Graduates from Hamburger University

Four managers, Shaela Cotton, Debra Herndon, Shontae Staton, and Jenny Young, from Costa Enterprises McDonald’s recently graduated from Hamburger University. This McDonald’s driven program is based in Chicago and led by world-class leaders and professors that train high-potential restaurant managers, mid-managers and owner-operators in restaurant management.

Cotton, Herndon, Staton, and Young join the list of graduates from Costa Enterprises McDonald’s who have completed the newly virtual Hamburger University program. All four had previously completed McDonald’s Fast Track Program and had been placed as managers. However, due to COVID-19, they did not get to complete the course at Hamburger University at the time, which is protocol of the Fast-Track Program.

Cotton is currently the department manager of one of Costa Enterprises’ 21 locations in Cottondale. She has been with the company since the restaurant was acquired in September 2018. Cotton has been the “right-hand manager” to the general manager in Cottondale and has stepped up on multiple occasions to run the restaurant when the current general manager was out for an extended period of time.

Herndon has been with Costa Enterprises for three years and started her career with the company as a crew member at their Niceville location. She has been able to work her way up through the management ranks and has now successfully completed the Fast-Track Program and Hamburger University. Herndon is currently the general manager of the Costa Bluewater Bay location in Niceville.

Staton serves as the acting general manager of Costa Enterprises’ Chipley location. Like Cotton, she has been with the company since they acquired the Chipley restaurant in September 2018. Staton took on the role when the previous general manager transferred to Costa’s Surfside location in Panama City Beach.

Young has been with Costa Enterprises since August 2015 and climbed the ranks at the company’s Blountstown location. She is currently the acting general manager of the Costa’s Port St. Joe location and took on the role with great success when the company transitioned the previous general manager to a different role.

“All of the graduates have excelled in their respective positions and stepped up when we needed them most,” said David Costa Sr., owner of Costa Enterprises McDonald’s. “We relied on them to keep the momentum going and they never disappointed. We are grateful to have employees and leaders like Shontae, Debra, Shaela, and Jenny as a part of our Costa family for so many years.”

Hamburger University was founded in 1961 in the basement of a McDonald’s in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, by Fred Turner, the first grill man for McDonald’s and, later, the CEO for 20 years. Hamburger University focuses more on leadership development, business growth, and operations procedures, with a special emphasis on service, quality, and cleanliness to help prepare students for managerial positions in the restaurant industry. Over the past 55 years, more than 275,000 people have attended a Hamburger University, according to Business Insider.

“The programs McDonald’s has set forward encourage our team members and help set them up for a better future and further roles within the company.” Costa said. “We are grateful to have the framework set up for our employees, so they feel supported in their growth within Costa and McDonald’s as a whole.”