> McDonalds is a real estate business.

In the same way that American Airlines is a credit card company. How much rent will they receive if they stopped selling burgers?

> The Founder"

Good movie but McDonalds is a long long way away from scrappy, morally-bankrupt Ray Kroc's time. I imagine using pink slime to make the nuggets he sold to kids would be right in his wheelhouse though.

> In the same way that American Airlines is a credit card company.

I thought the "they're not what you think" deal with airlines is that they're actually futures trading companies that happen to own and operate some aircraft?

American Airlines is more a credit card company than McDonalds is a real estate company. If McDonald's stopped collecting rent from its franchisees, there would probably be layoffs at corporate but the general public would still be able to buy Big Macs.

If American Airlines' credit card revenues dried up they wouldn't be able to pay their fuel bills and the company would be gone the next day.

While very interesting and a great movie, maybe can you explain how it's pertinent to this conversation?

>> "Even what is obstensibly a burger flipping business"

> ostensibly

probably implied they knew.

Ostensibly ;)

But yes, good movie too.