Like any event whose life span stretches into five decades, MUFSO has had its fair share of memorable moments.
The 1969 event was a controversial one, for example, with black activists taking attendees to task for a lack of minority franchisees. Then political activist and perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who was a speaker at the meeting, further impugned attendees’ ethics by accusing them of being the silent accomplices of manufacturers, compliantly selling whatever industry suppliers cared to produce.
In 1971, MUFSO honored Warren Rosenthal, president of Jerrico Inc. in Lexington, Ky., as its first “Man of the Year”—an award that later would be renamed Operator of the Year. At the time, he oversaw 65 Jerry’s restaurants, 13 Lott’s sandwich locations and the majority of the 78-unit Long John Silver’s fish-and-chips chains. A detail-oriented executive who also understood the big picture, Rosenthal sometimes liked to remind people that he once was a hamburger cook.
To celebrate the upcoming landmark, Rosenthal is planning to attend MUFSO’s 50th anniversary.
MUFSO headed to one of its more memorable locations in 1979, the glamorous Hilton Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Fla. The focus of that year’s event was putting the ’80s in focus, but it also saw the ’70s go out in style. The supplier exchange was held poolside in a tent-covered bazaar.
In contrast, the 2001 event was held barely a month after the terrorist attacks of Sept.11. There had been some question as to whether the event would take place, but ultimately the conference was convened. Operator of the Year winner Tom Russo, chairman and chief executive of American Hospitality Concepts, said that having the event was the best thing that could have been done, and he emphasized the significance of not giving in to fear.
Oftentimes the winners’ reactions provide the stand-out moments. By far the most surprised winner was James Near. In 1992, Near, the chairman and chief executive of Wendy’s International, won the Operator of the Year award for his efforts in engineering Wendy’s impressive comeback. He was visibly caught off guard with the announcement and responded with eyes wide and a jaw dropped low enough to bite into a Wendy’s Triple with Cheese.
MUFSO has had several high-profile speakers, including Jay Leno, David Brinkley, Ted Turner and Sam Donaldson. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush gave the keynote address in 2006, delivering a strong presentation that was widely hailed by attendees. Besides relating war stories and anecdotes from his years in public service, he addressed the economy, the geopolitical situation and the rise of China. The former president even made light of his wife’s ability to cook fish.