Family who owns 27 McDonald's restaurants rooted in Pasadena

PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- Nelly Quijano came to the United States with the goal of achieving the American dream.

Quijano and her late husband Dominic decided to open their first McDonald's franchise after their textile business burned down in the early '80s.

"My husband wanted to rebuild the textiles, but I wanted to get into McDonald's and I would not give up. I'm very persistent, I tell you," she recalled.

The Quijanos' success is all in house. Their daughter Marisol's Quijano has been part of the business since she was 12 and joined forces with her mother to expand the brand once she graduated from University of Houston-Downtown.

"You know, it is special because running a family business isn't always easy. But when you have the bond that we have and same like mind, we really don't have an issue," Mariselle Quijano said.

Both Nelly and her daughter own a total of 27 McDonald's in the surrounding Houston area.

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