Jack Cowin is working on his lines. The man who has done more than anyone to develop Australia’s taste for American fast food is preparing for a panel discussion about his business philosophy.

“How about this quote?” he asks. “I would rather wear out than rust out … that’s from Colonel Sanders,” he says, citing the KFC founder who came out to inspect Cowin’s Australian stores in the 1970s. “He gave us hell, said our gravy was like wallpaper glue.”