Some love stories start with a glance across a crowded room — this one started across the McDonald’s counter at SFM’s Greenville North location.
“I was a senior in high school,” Elizabeth recalls. “During one of my shifts, Steve came in to talk to his friend Abe. His hand was wrapped, and I asked him what happened. He spoke to Abe and left.”
It was a short encounter, but a memorable one. “I thought he was cute and was surprised when he called me later,” she laughs.
As it turns out, Steve had been interested from the start — enough to ask Abe for her phone number. “He called from a gas station down the road from my house to ask if I was home and if he could stop by,” she says. “At the time, Abe already had my number, and Steve admits he was a little jealous,” she adds with a smile.
Though the two didn’t actually work at the store at the same time, McDonald’s still had a funny way of connecting their worlds. Steve had already graduated and was working for a window company, but his younger brother Brad (who was just 14!) worked some shifts with Elizabeth. Even Steve’s mom worked there — just on the early morning shift.
There was also a surprising twist that still makes her laugh today: “Before we started dating, I comforted a co-worker one day who was upset about her boyfriend — not realizing she was dating Steve at the time. I said all the typical things high school girls say during a breakup… and a few months later, Steve asked me out!”
McDonald’s didn’t just bring them together — it became part of their wedding day, too. “Several of our coworkers and friends from McDonald’s were in the wedding,” Elizabeth says. “Abe Morin was a groomsman, Steve’s best friend Rob Kester was his best man, and Leah Smith — who I’ve known since first grade — was my maid of honor. We all worked at McDonald’s together.”
Life Lessons from McDonald’s
Looking back, both Steve and Elizabeth see how McDonald’s shaped not only their work ethic but their relationship. “Working at McDonald’s taught us patience, teamwork, and communication — all things that carry over into marriage,” she says. “We both learned how to stay calm when things get busy and to rely on each other.”
Their go-to orders are simple but classic — much like their story. “Steve gets the two cheeseburger meal, large,” Elizabeth shares. “I like a double cheeseburger with extra ketchup and extra pickles — always!”
These days, Elizabeth does most of the cooking at home, though she admits Steve still shines when it comes to breakfast. “He makes a mean breakfast on the Blackstone,” she laughs. “That might go back to his time on the grill at McDonald’s.”
If their love story were a McDonald’s menu item? “It would be the menu itself,” she says thoughtfully. “The menu has its steady items but introduces new ones — some stay, some don’t. Our relationship has been like that — built on a strong foundation, but always growing and evolving.”
Their kids know their parents’ story — and they find it amusing. “Yes, they know we met at McDonald’s,” Elizabeth says. “They think it’s weird — especially since their grandma and uncle worked there at the same time! None of them worked in fast food, though. One worked on a dairy farm, another detailed cars, and the youngest worked for a family friend’s business.”
From fries to forever, Steve and Elizabeth’s story is proof that sometimes the best things on the McDonald’s menu aren’t food at all — they’re the memories made behind the counter. ❤️🍟
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