Ron Shaich

And, you know, given its market cap, market valuation, which has gyrated between $7 billion and $15 billion up and down, you know, the market perceives this as something very real with the potential to fulfill its destiny as the next Chipotle.

I'd say it differently.

I did a book called Know What Matters, and I did a chapter on the IPL.

I'll warn you, Shane, I've counseled dozens of people who are going public, and I typically start by telling people,

90% of the entrepreneurs that go public live to regret it because it's a very different enterprise.

Now, for me, it was phenomenal.

I've done it multiple times and, you know, it's created great blessings in my life in many ways.

But there are also difficulties that go with it.

And I can remember the day we went public.

My partner at that time, Lou King, was on cloud nine.

And I had him stop the car we were in, the limousine.

And I got out and I walked through Central Park down here in New York.

And I started thinking to myself, just the sense of responsibility I felt to all of these folks that were investing tens, hundreds of millions of dollars in this company.

And the reality is when you're running an enterprise, you have a responsibility.

The people that believe in you and you want to deliver.

I want to deliver for the people who are buying the stock, not the ones that are shorting the stock.

There were any number of those investors.

They all came from very different places.

Some were with us in building something for the long term.

Others were trading the stock for the short term.