Emil Schoeman, 92, fast food impresario

By RICK BADIE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Guards at the Atlanta federal prison used to wait in line for Emil Schoeman to open the doors of his McDonald’s restaurant.

They’d want coffee.

Mr. Schoeman, whose eatery was across the street from the prison off McDonough Boulevard, happily obliged.

“They would be knocking on the doors early, before we opened,” said Ruth Schoeman, his wife of 60 years. “He’d let them sneak in. I remember because I worked there at the time.”

Mr. Schoeman became the owner-operator of the McDonough Boulevard restaurant in 1965. He, along with partner Ray Justice, would eventually own 15 of the fast-food joints. They had locations in Forest Park, Riverdale, Hapeville, Griffin and elsewhere. At one time, EMRAY — their Hapeville-based corporation — employed about 800 workers.

At some eateries, the business partners would stay open late on Friday nights to catch the football crowd. The Golden Arches packed them in.

“I tell you, they would rock,” said Mr. Justice of Stockbridge, who was Mr. Schoeman’s partner for 34 years. “Those kids would be all over the place. Incredible. A friend of mine in Alabama was doing the same thing.”

When it came to business, Mr. Schoeman worked well with personnel. It was a skill he mastered while working at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago, Mr. Justice said.

“He learned how to deal with all types of people,” he said. “He brought that to the table.”

Emil Schoeman, 92, of Atlanta, died Tuesday at Lenbrook Square from complications of a heart attack. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Atlanta First United Methodist Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington chapel, is handling arrangements.

Mr. Schoeman’s first restaurant job was at the Ambassador East Hotel on Chicago’s Gold Coast. When the Chicago native was drafted during World War II, he was put in charge of food service at an Army hospital in Albuquerque, N.M. After military service, he returned to the Ambassador East Hotel and served as the hotel maitre d’ and general manager during a 20-year career.

In 1964, he decided to invest in the franchise restaurant business. It took him a year to select McDonald’s. The corporation sold him the franchise near the federal prison.

“He had the choice to go to Massachusetts, Washington or Georgia,” his wife said. “My husband didn’t like cold weather. That’s the reason we chose Atlanta.”

Mr. Schoeman retired in 1999. He and Mr. Justice sold all the restaurants except one. Mr. Justice still operates it.

The Schoemans supported the United Methodist Children’s Home in Decatur and the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House. They donated a room to the Ronald McDonald House near Emory University.

In his decades with McDonald’s, Mr. Schoeman witnessed the introduction of signature sandwiches like the Big Mac (1968), the Quarter Pounder (1972) and the Egg McMuffin (1973).

His favorite?

“He liked the fish sandwich,” his wife said, “and I liked the double cheeseburger. And the french fries, of course.”

Other survivors include a son, Keith Schoeman of Marietta.