On competition
"This has been an industry of fast followership. If I see one more tempura green bean, I’m going to die.”
On the so-called better-burger upstarts
“I’m not totally sold on the fast-casual segment. The better-burger brands haven’t been able to break out of their regions, and the ones that have tried to go national are struggling.”
On diversity
“When you don’t have diversity of styles and lifestyles, then you don’t represent your guest base. You don’t understand that who opens their wallet is usually the woman.
“We as an industry have made a lot of strides. Going from general manager to multiunit manager, that’s where it somehow just falls off. That’s not the fault of the women—that’s the fault of the organization.”
On off-premise vs. dine-in business
“It’s still a physical brick-and-mortar business. The food still needs to be manufactured, and it needs to be manufactured fresh.”
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