General Manager of McDonald’s Cyprus, credited with the organization’s charitable work on the island, Renos Andreou died after a long illness aged 67 on 21 July.
Widely known for his charity work, Andreou was born in Anglisides, Larnaca in 1953, and attended the town’s, St George Gymnasium.
In 1976, he left the island to study in the UK, enrolling with the Matthew Bolton Technical College in Birmingham.
However, his dream of setting up his own business led him to abandon his studies and join the hospitality business in Birmingham.
In the meantime, he got married and had two children. Andreou, his wife Stavroula and their two children later moved to Coventry.
In 1981, Andreou opened his fish and chips shop in Coventry called the Village Fish Bar, followed by a second a couple of years later.
During his time in the UK, Andreou became an active and respected member of the UK Cypriot community.
The diaspora also mourns his loss, said Parikiaki, the Cypriot newspaper published in London, which serves the Cypriot and Greek communities.
During their time in the UK, Renos and Stavroula were active members and supporters of the Cypriot community. Renos was also a Governor of the Greek School which their children attended.
In 1992, he returned to Cyprus, and four years later, he founded Family Restaurants Andreou alongside his brother Michalis Andreou who had also returned home after spending time in Germany.
Michalis Andreou managed several McDonald’s restaurants in Germany.
In 1997, the Andreou brothers brought McDonald’s to Cyprus, opening their first restaurant on the Phinikoudes beachfront in their hometown of Larnaca.
McDonald’s Cyprus in the following years grew rapidly, to number 18 restaurants in 2021, employing more than 1,000 staff.
In an older interview with the Financial Mirror, Renos Andreou said that McDonald’s Cyprus, just like McDonald’s International is also about “giving back to the society”.
Andreou said the company believes greatly in the values cultivated by sport and actively supported a series of local sports clubs and events.
“But our biggest give-back to society so far was the project to set up the children’s cardiological centre in the Makarios Hospital in Nicosia.
“Through the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) foundation, we have carried out the project which had cost €400,000,” said Andreou.
The Children’s Cardiological Centre at the Makarios Hospital receives 4,000 to 5,000 visits per year.
“However, an even bigger charity project of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Foundation in Cyprus will be the construction of a hostel for parents of children being treated at the Makarios Children Hospital.”
Andreou had said the €1 mln project is to be located opposite the hospital and will be able to host the families of 12 children being treated at the hospital.
He was also involved in Larnaca’s sporting life, as he was an active supporter and member of the executive board of the town’s AEK Larnaca Football Club.
