You’re about to make a move beyond the Midwest, correct? Yes, I’m looking to move down in Texas to pick up some under-performing units—company-owned and franchisee.

Do you have a timeline for that move? It will happen within this year.

How many stores would you like to pick up? Probably 100.

Is this all part of a master plan you had back when you were washing dishes? I never dreamed that I was going to be a franchisee and owner of my own company. But people who know me know that if I set up an expectation for myself—a goal or “mission,” I call it—I continue working at it in my own way.

Like I said 100 stores. Every day I do something about it. I don’t just sit there and think that it will happen.

Why Texas? It’s too cold in Chicago. Plus, I need change.

When you head south, who will be at the helm in the Midwest? My No.2 man is just as good or smarter than me. Actually everybody working for me is smarter than me, honest.

Where did you find this team of bright people? Within the company. They were part of the existing company. The talent is within your own backyard. I have 3,000 people working for me. Within those 3,000 there is a lot of talent. If you look within for solutions, you’ll find a lot of them.

With our open communication, when we have a problem, we publicize it: somebody comes to the rescue and says, “Hey, I know how to do that.”

And then that person is on your radar? Exactly.

Name a strong Midwest brand. I’m fascinated with Portillo’s. They do big volume. They’re not very sophisticated. They just deliver a good product. They’ve got it down to simplicity. If you’re very complicated, you need technology to figure it all out. But if you’re very simple—cheeseburger, hamburger, fries—how much technology do you need?

What challenges do you foresee for quick-service in the upcoming years? The labor pool and health insurance. It’s crazy. This health insurance is a nightmare for operators because it’s getting more expensive every year. I’m afraid one day we’ll be working for health insurance companies to provide minimum health insurance for our employees.