In the 1970s, the coolest job you could have was flipping burgers at McDonald's. "Believe it or not, you needed to have an in to get a job at McDonald's back then, so my brother, who was working in the kitchen, recommended me for the job," Hendel, 66, tells CNBC Make It. "I never thought it would be my forever job," says Hendel. And he goes, 'Do you think you're good at it?' In 1990, Hendel became the owner/operator of his first McDonald's restaurant in Brooklyn.

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Persons: Paul Hendel, Hank, Hendel, Merrick McDonald's, McDonald's, Peter Hunt, Paul, I'm, It's, I've, Lauren, Mark Organizations: CNBC, C.W, Post University, Long Island University, McDonald's Locations: Merrick , New York, Long, McDonald's, Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Glen Cove, Nassau County, Oceanside , New York, Hunt