Golden opportunity

Lynda Riendeau, morning shift manager at the Hawkesbury McDonald's, is getting a chance to travel to Vancouver and Whistler this winter to work at three special restaurants during the Winter Olympic Games. Photo Matthew Talbot

Even though the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver are still months away, Lynda Riendeau already has Olympic fever.
She's just been chosen by her employer to travel to Vancouver early next year and work during the games.
"I'm going to be meeting all the athletes," Riendeau said, taking time out of her busy morning last Friday to talk about her trip.
Riendeau is the morning shift manager at the McDonald's in Hawkesbury. What that means, she said, is she works from 3:30 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m. each weekday making sure breakfast is served hot and quick to the waiting customers.
According to McDonald's, Riendeau is one of about 150 employees - out of more than 77,000 employees across the country - chosen to work at any one of the three on-site McDonald's restaurants in the Athletes Villages (in Vancouver and Whistler) and at the media centre.
The restaurant chain said employees chosen to be part of the Olympic Champion Crew team were the top-performing employees in "excellence in teamwork and customer service" from across Canada.
Riendeau was visibly excited on Friday, just a day after her opportunity was made public.
"I was so surprised when I found out - going to the games is what most people dream of," she said.
Riendeau has worked in Hawkesbury since October 2008, but has been a McDonald's employee for 15 years.
Wayne Paterson, Riendeau's partner who she met when they worked at a McDonald's in Montreal and who is the manager of the McDonald's in Hawkesbury, said her trip is all-expenses paid.
He said Riendeau will be living in a hotel for 30 days, and McDonald's is footing the bill. Meals and transportation to the venues is also being paid for, he said.
It's not all a vacation though, as there's still work to do. However, Paterson said the employees working at the games are being paid for eight-hour shifts but only have to work six hours.
Riendeau said she has to be available for a minimum of 30 days between January 28 and March 1.
Perhaps the most important perk for a hockey lover like Riendeau is the offer of a premium ticket to an event.
"I'll watch the hockey, speed skating, figure skating, anything with ice," she said.
Riendeau is even involved with the Cougars minor hockey in Vankleek Hill, as the team's secretary.
She said she is "honoured to represent my local restaurant and country as a member of the Olympic Champion Crew."