McDonald’s teams up with village to help make a merry morning with Santa

Village families crowded the Valley Stream Community Center, sharing a hearty holiday breakfast of bagels, croissants, cereal, muffins, and more with none other than Santa Claus. The annual Breakfast with Santa event is a time-honored village tradition, part of its expansive holiday Winterfest events and activities. While Santa provided the holiday magic, an equally recognizable fast-food giant provided the financial backing to make it all possible.

This year, Mcdonald’s, the corporate burger eatery with the iconic golden arches, was the event’s sole benefactor through its local franchise owners Lauren and Mark Hendel. The sibling duo run and operate the sleek McDonald’s restaurant on Sunrise Highway.

“This is our second year of sponsoring the event for the village of Valley Stream. It’s part of our responsibility to give back to the community, and I think the work and effort they put in to get ready for this event really put a lot of smiles on the children’s faces,” said Mark. “And we’re always looking for ways to give back to the community we serve in.”

The Hendels weren’t able to come to the first sponsored breakfast last year, but this year, they were able to greet village families and rub shoulders with village staffers. And they came bearing a little treat for the kids.

“It was the 100th anniversary of Disney, so we gave hundreds of toys. Each box had different surprise Disney characters,” said Mark. “You’d unwrap the box and get two little figurines.”

Mark and Lauren, who inherited the business from their father, the prolific franchise proprietor Paul Hendel, have operated the Valley Stream McDonald’s restaurant for four years.

“This was my first store as an owner and operator back in 2019. The current store is a knock-down rebuild of the old one,” said Mark. “This restaurant used to be pushed up on the corner of Sunrise and Rockaway and had a basement. It was a very retro-looking McDonald’s. But now we have three drive-thru windows and state-of-the-art equipment.”

It was a roughly eight-month renovation process, but with the rebirth of the restaurant, the Hendels are also aiming to connect more with customers and contribute positively to the communities they live in.

“We are definitely looking forward to sponsoring the breakfast again next year,” said Mark. “I was very impressed with what the village did, and I think every kid will appreciate it moving forward. Operating in this village has always been just an amazing experience, and the people have been phenomenal.”