Like many teenagers, Caleb Canada’s first formal job was working at a McDonald’s. But instead of making it a short-term arrangement, Canada stayed with the company and is now the vice president of operations for Capital City McDonald’s, a franchisee with 16 stores throughout central Illinois.
“I started out when I was 16 and worked at McDonald’s for three years, first as crew and later as a shift manager,” Canada said. “Then I went off to school, but after college I wanted to come back closer to home.”
Canada said he became a manager for the now-closed McDonald’s on MacArthur Boulevard and later worked as a supervisor.
McDonald’s has had a presence in Springfield since 1957, but it has been many years since one franchisee owned all of the stores here. That changed earlier this year when Mike Kasprzyk, owner of Capital City McDonald’s, purchased stores from two other franchise operators, Paul and Mary Breznay and Kim Derringer. Kasprzyk had purchased six Springfield locations in 2024 when franchisee Brad Davis retired.
Kasprzyk already owned stores in Chatham, Jacksonville, Beardstown, Havana and Mt. Sterling, having taken over operations from his parents, Joe and Revella Kasprzyk, who became McDonald’s franchisees in 1989 with the purchase of the Jacksonville location.
“Mike got word that one of the owners in Springfield was looking to retire and move away,” said Canada. “We both live in the area, so we saw this as a great opportunity to get back into this community.”
Canada said there are also advantages to being the sole operator in the market.
“Having all the stores in this community will give us the chance to do things on a bigger scale,” he said. “It’s sometimes hard when there are multiple owners.”
Unlike other Springfield franchises that have recently changed owners, Canada said none of the employees will lose their jobs.
“We want to grow with the talented people who were here to begin with,” he said. “Everybody who was on staff had the chance to stay; we want to reinvest with them. The No. 1 thing we want to have in our vision for this brand is hope and opportunity.”
Capital City McDonald’s has grown from five stores to 16 in a fairly short time, but Canada said there is nothing currently in the works for additional acquisitions.
“There is nothing in the immediate plans, but we would never rule it out,” he said. “We are excited to see how this evolves, and we are incredibly blessed and grateful for the opportunity to support this community.”
A public event to introduce the new franchisee and launch a new product, McCrispy Strips, is planned for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at the McDonalds store at 3250 S. Sixth St. in Springfield.
Free McCrispy strip samples will be provided while supplies last and the first 50 people to arrive will receive a coupon for a free meal. Customers with the MyMcDonald’s Rewards app can enter drawings to win a free Big Mac weekly for a year.
