John Glass Quotations

We're finally really playing for something. We control our own destiny.

McDonald's will have to prove that it is not a one-trick pony in terms of its sales trends. Europe is getting better. This is a market that's almost as strong as the U.S. and accounts for as much as 40 percent of profits. But psychologically for investors, the U.S. market has to continue to do well in order for the stock to hold up.

Certainly if you bought it last March, it was cheap. It was a value stock. It is generally regarded as a well-run company with a big return on investment. Buffett likes beaten-up names and things you can feel, touch and literally eat. It fits his profile pretty well.

I think it's great. You hear of skis being stolen. I just have my name on a sticker, but if you see 'police' on a sticker, maybe they'll leave them alone.

While avian flu has become an increasing concern in Europe, we don't believe the company has seen any discernable impact on sales.

We will not opine about the feasibility of such a transaction,

The second half of 2004 is extremely critical. April sales were very strong, but I don't think anyone expects a 10 percent sales increase in September, October and November.

This is a fairly dramatic reduction. They're cutting it down to 600 restaurants next year, whereas I was thinking they would cut it down to 800.

They've chosen not to invest as aggressively as other companies, but also they're not seeing the same sales ramp. You know $17 million in sales this year, that's not really a huge number,

It was extremely scary, ... It gets to the point where you have nowhere to go.

It's unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it, ... We dodged a bullet with Hurricane George, but we didn't dodge this bullet.

It's not a perfect world. There were some problems with the doughnut and coffee shops; the logistics were a little challenging. But I don't necessarily think ... that it has to be a hot doughnut.

If people started eating less Big Macs and Double Cheeseburgers, it would be a problem, ... Those are nice high-margin items for McDonald's.

In the store, it's an issue of queuing ? someone can have a complex order and step aside while it's being made.

Instead of focusing on opening new stores, the company is investing on improving its existing stores, ... Second, McDonald's is doing a good job with product innovation and improving quality. It's a philosophical change whereby instead of selling burgers cheaply, it's now selling better menu items at a higher price and consumers are paying for it.

The lukewarm consumer response to tests in the U.S. combined with the significant capital outlay for oven equipment played a considerable part in the decision to delay (if not desert) this initiative.

The coffee market in the United States is the fastest-growing segment within fast food. McDonald's recognizes this and wants to capitalize on it. It's surprising it's taken the company this long.

The company has been grooming Bell for that role and he's certainly become more of a public face of the company recently.