Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer
Aug 25, 2026 · 43 min · 12 segments
When you walk into a McDonald’s, it looks like one company. But legally, the person making your fries probably doesn’t work for McDonald’s at all. Brian Callaci, Chief Economist at the Open Markets…
Brian CallaciGuestGoldyHost
Nick HanauerHost
And, uh, yeah, so franchisees put up their own capital, and, uh, yeah, they fork over a percentage of their sales.
... uh, 10 and, you know, 20%, uh, to the, to the trademark owner, and they keep what's left.
And that, of course, motivates them and incentivizes them to work, you know, pretty hard and to follow the rules-
It did also allow franchisors To sidestep the New Deal era regulatory apparatus that guaranteed worker rights and protected independent business proprietors from, uh, control by large corporations.
Right
White Castle, but we don't want the legal liabilities that White Castle faces if their workers wanna unionize, if their workers wanna file a wage and hour claim against us, or if coffee's too hot," you know, his famous, you know, case, "and, and it burns a customer."
Yeah.
We just want, you know, the national chain, um, uh, national chain, uh, national brand, branded chain aspects of it."
Yeah.
And that was very explicit, this...
And, uh, yeah, so franchisees put up their own capital, and, uh, yeah, they fork over a percentage of their sales.
... uh, 10 and, you know, 20%, uh, to the, to the trademark owner, and they keep what's left.
And that, of course, motivates them and incentivizes them to work, you know, pretty hard and to follow the rules-
It did also allow franchisors To sidestep the New Deal era regulatory apparatus that guaranteed worker rights and protected independent business proprietors from, uh, control by large corporations.
Right
White Castle, but we don't want the legal liabilities that White Castle faces if their workers wanna unionize, if their workers wanna file a wage and hour claim against us, or if coffee's too hot," you know, his famous, you know, case, "and, and it burns a customer."
Yeah.
We just want, you know, the national chain, um, uh, national chain, uh, national brand, branded chain aspects of it."
Yeah.
And that was very explicit, this...
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