FILLING people’s bellies is not likely to cause any headaches for McDonald’s incoming Swindon franchisee Carl Room, but filling the shoes of Paul Booth is going to be the challenge.

On Sunday Carl, 47, officially took control of the eight restaurants in and around Swindon which Paul ran for the best part of 15 years.

Carl has been running franchises in Oxford, Botley, Abingdon and Headington since 2002, and first worked as a crew member under the golden arches as a 16-year-old, but experience will only take him so far in succeeding Paul.

“It’s all been brought about by Paul,” said Carl. “He decided it was time for him to leave and it was McDonald’s who came to me and asked if I wanted to expand my business and move areas.

“It was a no brainer for me. I’m coming into a well-established franchise. If I had to start again from scratch I would stay where I am, but because Paul has such a good structure, it made it an easy decision.

“He didn’t give many words of advice because we have both been around McDonald’s a long time.

“I know in the early days he had a problem with recruitment and structure, but he sorted that. It’s the way he talks with people and works with them which makes him such a good boss.

“There’s nothing around McDonald’s side that fazes me, but it’s being able to fill Paul’s shoes that fazes me.”

Carl and Paul go back 30-odd-years as McDonald’s associates, but got to know each other best during their days together in the East Midlands when the latter was Carl’s boss.

As their careers progressed they remained in touch and regularly bumped into one another at meetings and business functions.

Each of them has moved around the country in their time, but became neighbouring franchisees towards the start of the century.

Carl is now looking to move again. He currently lives in Singleborough, Buckinghamshire, with his wife and two of his three children, who are aged 23, 17 and 15. He is in the market for somewhere rural on the outskirts of Swindon, in order to cast a closer eye over his new businesses.

Carl’s roster of restaurants will soon stretch to nine, as the burger giants open up a new drive-thru restaurant in Bridgemead, which he has said will be a restaurant of the future.

“Opening a new site will be a new challenge for me,” he said. “It’s a restaurant of the future. There will be loads of new technology in there, with how the restaurants are being kitted out now.

“Since being a franchisee I haven’t opened a new one before. We struggled to find sites in Oxford.”

Carl said applications to work in the eatery are flooding in from external and internal candidates. It is expected to open on Wednesday, October 29.