IPOH, Dec 3 — It is farewell for the city’s first McDonald’s outlet in Jalan Mustapha Albakri, which closes its doors after 27 years.

The first batch of crew who served at the outlet held a reunion and farewell prior to its closing on Wednesday.

For many, this was the first time they met after leaving the McDonald’s family.

The outlet’s first manager Chan Yu Yin said he was delighted to meet up with former colleagues. 

"This farewell party has given us the opportunity to meet up after so many years,” said the 53-year-old in his impromptu speech.

"It is like a big family reunion.” 

Chan said the outlet had brought changes to the city. 

"I remembered the city’s first mayor Datuk Umar Abu, when opening the outlet in November 1989, had said Ipoh is not truly a city without McDonald’s.

"That was how significant McDonald’s was back then,” said Chan, who managed the outlet from 1989 to 1990. 

The store’s first assistant manager Kelly Chan, 48, said her team worked hard to make sure it was the best outlet at the time. 

"We had to report for duty by 8am and we could see traffic police on standby as many people would queue up to buy our products. The traffic was insane.”

Chan added that she worked at the outlet for 10 years before moving on.

"I want to thank all my former colleagues for the wonderful journey we shared together,” she said. 

Meanwhile, McDonald’s Malaysia managing director Azmir Jaafar said he was proud of the connections the outlet built with its customers over the years. 

"We remain committed to serving delicious food and feel-good moments in our other outlets in Malaysia, including 15 in Perak. 

"We also thank our customers for their continuous support as they have given us the opportunity to serve them for 34 years in all the outlets nationwide,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the existing crew at the Jalan Mustapha Albakri outlet would be transferred to other outlets in the city.