The longest-serving employee at McDonalds' George St branch, Miss Reid (38) started her first day on November 30, 1988 toasting burger buns.
"I just loved it from that first moment. Everyone was waiting for us to open and so the whole thing was quite exciting."
Originally wanting to be a police officer, the then 17-year-old never envisioned she would spend 20 years working for McDonalds.
Miss Reid has worked in every position at the store, becoming a trainee manager in 1989 before working up to restaurant manager level in May 1995.
Since then she has picked up five outstanding restaurant manager awards - in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004.
Miss Reid also took advantage of the accreditation of her McDonalds training, graduating with the New Zealand Institute in Management and the New Zealand Diploma in Business Studies in 2003.
In 2005 she was promoted operations manager of the three Dunedin stores.
The only original crew member remaining from the store's opening day, Miss Reid left the outlet yesterday and will begin her new job as the company's first South Island-based business consultant on Monday.
In her new role Miss Reid will be responsible for 17 franchised stores - from Christchurch to Invercargill, including Greymouth.
She said the job was a great opportunity for her, and a reward for working hard with the company.
"I have been good to them and they have been good to me, so I think if you work hard you get rewarded."
With the company looking at expanding, including two possible new stores in Dunedin in the next few years, Miss Reid said she would like to become a franchise owner herself in the future.
"That would be a real dream for me . . . and I will do it."
