A North Carolina congressman who started working at McDonald's as a teenager has sold the restaurant business he and his wife spent decades building, bringing a nearly 50-year chapter with the fast-food chain to a close.Rep.Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., and his wife, Teresa, announced on Monday that they have sold their McDonald's restaurant business to longtime friends and fellow franchisees Christine and Chris Nevant of Asheville, North Carolina.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.Edwards said the transition marks the end of a journey that began when he took his first job at McDonald's when he was 16 years old.REGIONAL BURGER CHAINS ARE BEATING FAST-FOOD GIANTS IN ONE KEY MEASUREYears later, he purchased that same restaurant, eventually increasing his ownership into multiple locations across western North Carolina.U.S.Rep.
Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., right, announced he has sold his McDonald's franchises.(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)"McDonald's changed the course of my life," Edwards said in a statement.
"It taught me the value of hard work, personal responsibility, teamwork and serving others."The sale allows Edwards to fully step away from business ownership and devote more time to serving western North Carolina in Congress.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER"While leaving a business that has meant so much to our family is bittersweet, this transition allows us to dedicate even more time and energy to the work of serving our communities and fighting for the people of our mountain region," Edwards said.The buyers are longtime friends of the Edwards family and have owned McDonald's restaurants in the Asheville area for years, according to a news release announcing the sale.Edwards said selling the franchises allows him to "dedicate even more time and energy to the work of serving our communities and fighting for the people" of North Carolina.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Ge...