How Welburn Management Streamlined Hiring Across 45 McDonald's Locations with Checkr

Family-owned McDonald’s franchise group streamlines background checks across 45 restaurants, protecting young workers while promoting fair chance hiring.

Company Overview

Welburn Management operates 45 McDonald's franchise locations across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware as part of a larger 70-location family business. With over 3,000 employees and a strong culture of promoting from within, the company needed a reliable background check solution to support their leadership development pipeline.

industry

Quick Service Restaurant Franchise

size

70+ McDonald’s locations across the Southeast

Key results

Launched a background check program from the ground up
Reduced delays by resolving issues within hours, not days
Improved safety standards for 16–17-year-old employees
Strengthened candidate trust through communication & fairness

Products used

Criminal Background Checks

Before Checkr: Starting from scratch

When HR Manager Courtney Nelson joined Welburn Management, the company had no background check system in place—a critical gap for a business that needed:

Child labor law compliance: With 16-17 year old employees, certain criminal records legally disqualify candidates from working alongside minors
Management screening: Salaried positions required background verification, but no system existed
Operational delays: Without a streamlined process, leadership development classes faced potential bottlenecks

We employ 16 and 17-year-olds across our locations, which means we have a responsibility to ensure their safety. Background checks are essential to ensure we're creating a safe work environment for all our team members, especially our younger employees.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager

Courtney took it upon herself to build the background check process from scratch—evaluating 15–20 vendors before ultimately choosing Checkr.

Discovering Checkr: From search to solution

Nelson researched 10-15 background check providers before selecting Checkr. What set Checkr apart wasn't just the product—it was the customer experience and ongoing support.

Exceptional Support: "Every week, Checkr was checking in. If I had a social security number that wasn't going through, I would email Checkr... Within an hour max, they would reach back out to me with a response."
Comprehensive Onboarding: "The Checkr team walked me through it, so I felt comfortable even my first time sending out background checks, reviewing the information... I didn't feel like I was caught off guard."
Fast Turnaround: "I would say that the turnaround time was very good. As quickly as the candidates put the background checks in, we would get them back in an amicable amount of time."

This responsiveness was critical in a fast-food environment where every day counts.

The results: Serving up success

Speed + reliability

Turnaround times now keep pace with QSR hiring demands. Most checks return quickly, enabling Courtney to onboard managers and swing managers without losing candidates.

As quickly as the candidates put the background checks in, we would get them back in an amicable amount of time. Whatever the issue was, Checkr was always willing to explain how to make sure it went through.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager

Protecting young workers

With 16–17-year-olds working across their restaurants, safety was non-negotiable. Checkr gave Welburn confidence that candidates were screened properly while maintaining fair standards.

If there’s felony charges, you can’t be around children. But if someone has a DUI, that doesn’t stop them from working for McDonald’s. I believe in second chances. Everybody deserves to tell their side of the story.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager

Empowering fair chance hiring

Courtney blends compliance with compassion—rejecting candidates only when legally required, but otherwise giving people the chance to explain their history.

As the HR manager, I can’t control the law. But if you give me a reason that I believe warrants you to have the position, by all means, I want to offer you employment. I believe in giving people the opportunity.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager

Training + consistency

With over 3,000 employees, Courtney relies on Checkr’s resources to standardize processes. By identifying issues quickly and sharing best practices with her managers, she ensures hiring remains consistent across 45 locations.

Checkr's support goes beyond just running background checks. When reports get flagged or delayed, they provide detailed explanations that help me understand the process. I can then train my managers using those same explanations, creating consistency across our entire organization.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager

Highlights: Favorite features

Comprehensive onboarding training: Complete walkthrough during implementation
Responsive customer support: Hour-to-hour issue resolution
User-friendly platform: Intuitive interface requiring minimal training
Reliable processing: Consistent turnaround times for high-volume screening

From zero to fully operational

By introducing Checkr, Courtney Nelson didn’t just plug a compliance gap—she elevated hiring across an entire franchise group.

Today, Welburn Management confidently balances speed, safety, and fairness while hiring for 45 McDonald's locations across the Southeast. For a family business 40 years in the making, Checkr is more than a vendor—it’s a partner in growth.

I absolutely would recommend Checkr. It’s just so much faster, it’s more user-friendly, the interface is so much better. I used to get frustrated with other platforms because nothing made sense. This is the best one.

Courtney Nelson

HR Manager