jerk_twistie

Hi, thank you for doing this AMA. Few questions.

What kind of qualifications is required to open a Mcdonald's franchise (apart from money, is there certain critiera you must fulfill)? How much capital are you required to have to open a McDonalds and what exactly do you own?

I own a few service stations and have always been fascinated with fast food shops.

Thanks for the reply, that sounds very similar to service station industry, except there are 3 parties involved. The landlord owns the petrol station itself, whilst everything else is owned by franchisor with the franchisee just operating the service station.

With the amount of gross income turning over, it seems like you're a high paid employee, but you bear all the risk of a business owner. Does McD do anything to help you improve your sales or try maximize the profits from your property whilst you run it? Or do they just monitor it and show up from time to time to ensure everything is running smoothly?

What would you say is the maximum amount of McD you could run by yourself (without exceeding 40 hours per week)? Or is there no limit, as in, you could hire a district manager and regional manager etc.?

I remember reading in one of Malcolm Gladwell's books about a therapist who could guess with high accuracy if a marriage is going to make it within a short period of time. The key was if there was contempt express on the partner's face when the other partner talked.

I was wondering if you agree with this? Are there tell tale signs that couples exhibit that almost guarantee the relationship will fail?