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When Kristine Walk started working at McDonald’s in Albert Lea as a teenager, she did so because her brothers worked there, too.

Last week she celebrated her 30th anniversary with the company.

“Everybody gets to be family so it’s hard to leave,” Walk said.

Walk, who works at the McDonald’s on Main Street, has done a little of everything over the years, but she said her favorite place to work at the fast food restaurant is in the kitchen. She worked in the drive-thru when she was a teenager, but she said she prefers working behind the scenes getting the food ready for customers.

She said when she first started at McDonald’s, the local restaurant had different owners. She also worked in the former building that was at the site.

When that building was torn down to make way for the new building, she worked for six weeks at the Bridge Avenue location before returning back to the Main Street location in what is now the current building. That building later underwent renovations.

“It hasn’t changed that much,” Walk said. “It’s different, but it’s not.’

Over the years, Walk said she has appreciated the flexibility of her job and says her managers have been understanding of when she has needed time off. Walk has a 9-year-old daughter.

She has also enjoyed the people she has worked with.

Walk said her co-workers celebrated her anniversary with cake and flowers.