Quotes from Fred DeLuca

Every time I come across learning items of interest, I'll send distribution voice mail to the appropriate group in the organization.

I guess that's one of the benefits of being sick. Your wife lets you have a big-screen TV in the living room.

Most of the people we sign on as development agents commit to goals they don't believe are possible.

There are so many ingredients that are approved for use. You can't be an expert on all of them.

You could have everything right but be in the wrong place. You think your business is no good, but really, the problem is your place is no good.

We give great value for our franchisees: They can build a store for well under $200,000. And we have extremely simple operating systems. The preparation is mostly done in front of the customer. That simplicity is really what attracts our Subway franchise. You see it, and you can do it.

Everybody eats three times a day; it's only a question of where they choose to eat. The longer-term trends are people eat out more often.

It's tough for people to get into business, especially a small business.

If someone wants to eat healthy, they can do that and get the sandwich exactly right. I'm so pleased we're able to influence so many people and their eating habits.

You have to realize that the customer really is king. People who go into more established businesses probably have to be careful not to be casual about that. When you have a brand-new business, and nobody knows who you are, you know you have to work really hard for your customers.

We have salads, some other beverages. But in reality, it's still fundamentally the same business. The most likely thing the next person will buy is a sandwich and a soft drink. After a half-century of glacial change, we're still pretty much the same business.

I was able to solve enough big problems along the way that the sheriff didn't come along and put the 'bankruptcy' sign up.

Back in the early days of international, everybody wanted to customize the menu for every place.

There's huge access to information. If you need to learn something, you can go on the Internet and learn very quickly. You can reach across miles and miles to find companies that can assist you.

Six months after we started, in 1964, there was a day when we sold only seven sandwiches. If we'd taken all the money from the register, we couldn't have paid an employee, much less the food or the rent or all that. It could have been a turning point. We could have given up.

I know a lot of people at some point in their business careers decide they'll just cash in and do something else, but for some reason, I've never had that feeling.

In a typical situation, it's going to take pretty close to a year to get your location in, get your permits, and then get open.

If I'm spending time on something, I may as well do good as opposed to average.

I went to school because I was supposed to. I did pre-med because my mum thought it was a good idea.

Higher unemployment generally bodes well for franchising. People are looking for a new opportunity, and people who have jobs are a little less confident they'll always have a job.

If you treat people nicely, and you allow them to fulfill a role that is satisfying for them, they'll accomplish a lot, and they'll enjoy their work.

The franchisees are uniquely in touch at the local level. They see what's going on in their communities in a way we couldn't ever imagine.

Even if you set a long-term goal, that doesn't mean it's a straight-line journey. Often, there are problems and obstacles along the way.

In the U.S. and Canada, we have one store for every 12,000 people.