Terryl Dozier is all smiles as his Medford McDonald’s opens Monday

His first restaurant built from the ground up marks the next chapter in a family legacy

Nearly 50 years ago, local burger magnate Jonah Kaufman left accounting to work for his father-in-law at McDonald’s.

Now his own son-in-law is building a future beneath the Golden Arches.

Terryl Dozier (pictured above) will open his third McDonald’s location Monday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m., on Sills Road in Medford, across from the Stop & Shop-anchored Sunshine Square shopping center.

And it’s his first Mickey D’s built from scratch.

For Dozier, 41, of Huntington, the new restaurant represents a career change he once struggled to imagine and a fourth-generation family tradition he thought carefully about joining.

“Outside of marrying my wife, I always say, it was probably the best decision that I ever made,” he said of joining McDonald’s.

A different plan

*Jonah Kaufman, of Huntington, was interviewing with the FBI when he instead decided to work for his father-in-law in 1977. (Credit: GLI/Nick Esposito, file)*

Before McDonald’s, Dozier spent nearly a decade working for the New York City Department of Education, including as director of data analytics and strategic planning. His work helped the school system use data to guide decisions and improve school performance.

Then came COVID-19, and with it, questions about what he wanted next.

While deliberating — and shortly after marrying Kaufman’s daughter, Emily — Dozier got a recruitment pitch from his new father-in-law:

He had joined the family. How about joining the family business?

Working for Kaufman Enterprises would be a considerable departure from education analytics. But Dozier had watched how Kaufman ran the organization and liked the values behind it.

Still, the decision came with some personal stakes.

What if he didn’t enjoy it? What if he wasn’t good at it? What would either outcome mean for the family and the business it had spent decades building?

Dozier and Kaufman had a series of honest conversations about those possibilities.

“He’s a very persuasive guy,” Dozier said with a smile.

What ultimately reassured him, though, was knowing he had room to make his own decision. Kaufman told him that if he joined and later wanted to leave, they would work through it.

Dozier decided to give it a shot.

“As long as you work hard, you’re going to wind up finding your passion in it,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

Learning every position

Terryl Dozier outside his new Medford McDonald’s. Joining the family business meant weighing his own career goals against the responsibility of carrying on a legacy spanning four generations. (Credit: GLI/Mike White)

He entered the business in September 2022 through McDonald’s Next Gen program, a training pathway for relatives of existing owner-operators.

The program took him through every position in the restaurant. He trained across the family’s stores, learning a business he would eventually be responsible for running.

In July 2024, he became an owner-operator at the McDonald’s on Route 112 in Medford, just minutes from his new Sills Road restaurant. An East Meadow location was also passed on to him.

Signing that first franchise agreement brought excitement, along with a clear understanding of what he was taking on, Dozier said.

“One, you’re a business owner,” he said. “Two, there’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.

“But there’s also a lot of opportunity.”

The Sills Road site was already cleared when Greater Long Island reported on the project in June. The restaurant sits near National Boulevard and Pickleball Heaven, the indoor pickleball complex that opened last year.

Now, as construction gives way to opening preparations, Dozier is eager to get started.

During his interview with GLI, his builder stopped in to say hello and provide some timeline updates.

Dozier asked how he was doing.

“I’ll be better when you’re selling burgers.”

“Me too,” Dozier replied with a laugh.

A tradition of in-laws

*Irv Klein and Jonah Kaufman in a 1988 newspaper clipping. (courtesy)*

The family’s McDonald’s history stretches back to Leon Weil, who was offered a franchise by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, according to Kaufman.

Weil’s son-in-law, Irv Klein, was 30 at the time and didn’t want his father-in-law traveling from Indiana to Long Island alone.

So he joined him.

Together, they opened their first McDonald’s in East Northport in 1960. Weil retired in 1970. Kaufman joined his father-in-law, Klein, in 1977.

A CPA who disliked accounting, Kaufman had interviewed with the FBI before accepting Klein’s offer to work at McDonald’s.

He thought he might be handling the books. Instead, he started on the fry station.

Kaufman took over the business when Klein retired in 1996. His son, Josh, later became an owner-operator as well. He now operates 12 McDonald’s locations of his own.

With the Sills Road opening, Kaufman and Dozier will operate 11 restaurants between them — eight for Kaufman and three for Dozier.

Dozier credits an experienced team, including director of operations Stephanie Bellew, with helping him make the move from learning the business to leading restaurants.

“I’m lucky,” he said. “I have the most fabulous team.”

Even a decade ago, Dozier said, he would never have predicted owning a McDonald’s, but he’s lovin’ it.

“It feels exhilarating,” he said. “I never thought I would ever own a McDonald’s and I never thought I would love owning a McDonald’s.”

Top: Terryl Dozier at the drive-thru window ahead of his new McDonald’s on Sills Road in Medford, opening Nov. 11. It will be his third location. (Credit: GLI/Mike White)