McDonald’s Employee Of The Year Is 89-Year-Old Man

Sure, retiring at 65 is the norm, but that doesn’t mean you have to! At a McDonald’s in Piqua, OH, an 89-year-old man was awarded McDonald’s Employee of the Year. He’s only worked there for a little over a year and is absolutely killin’ it.

For employee Hugh Ruppert, the award practically comes as an early birthday present. He was given the award on Monday, and today marks his 89th birthday, WHIO-TV reported. Every morning, he wakes up at 3 a.m. without an alarm clock. He heads into McDonald’s for a shift from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and usually works six days per week in the lobby area of the fast food chain, the news channel reported.

Before landing a gig at McDonald’s, he retired from The Hobart Brothers after a 24-year stint and held a job in maintenance at a Christian Life Center. When he was applying for a new job, he was turned down by a lot of companies because of his age (um rude, right?). It’s OK, though, because McDonald’s couldn’t wait to hire him.

The man wants to work until he’s 100. Why? He “didn’t want to sit in a rocking chair and waste away,” he told WHIO-TV. “I wanted to keep going.”

He also hopes to be a role model for younger employees. Hey, even though I don’t work at McDonald’s, he’s an inspiration to me! His mentality is serious goals. Although, I do like the idea of spending the rest of my days with nothing on my to-do list. Only time will tell!