Thanks Joel - sounds like my famous pork chops (a little dry, but they never lack personality). If you want more of this kind of content, Google my Pen Name "Soundbite Laureate" for enough reading to last through the next blizzard. Best, Doug

Thanks Danny - maybe this could be a good article to share with potential investors (should you go that route) to see if you're on the same page. Best, Doug

Jim: It sounds like you've spent some time in the trenches as well! Yes, it's tough when you don't have a sense of shared sacrifice on your team, or when others only have "upside" scenarios but no risk whatsoever - and those are the ones holding the purse strings! (And don't get me started on the VC babysitters - 100% agree!). Best, Doug

Kurt: Sounds like we're on the same page. Yes, this is simplified (hence the title), but sometimes analysts miss the forest for the trees when it comes to figuring out the mind of the consumer. Also, as mentioned at the end, Chipotle for the consumer represents the "great compromise" between significantly higher comparative costs (ala RT) and significantly lower quality (Consumer Reports ranked McD's Big Mac "the worst" in 2014). Chipotle remains that elusive Goldilocks ROI proposition (in taste AND value), and their noble efforts toward sustainability and integrity (see their recent pork decision) make them too easy to "pull" for in the "live-stock" market. Thanks for your comment. Doug

Great reality-based analysis, and a timely counter-balance to the State of the Union spin...

Bill: I never metaphor I didn't like, and yours was brilliant. Excellent word picture and insights into the Russian roulette wheel of our "unreal" economy.