I've never really bought this story. I mean, it's possible some of the focus group subjects said this, and even probable that some people made that mistake. But

I've never really bought this story. I mean, it's possible some of the focus group subjects said this, and even probable that some people made that mistake. But I don't know if I'd extrapolate from that that it's the sole, or even main cause for a product launch failing. If it was Americans' math skills that were at fault for their failure, and not their products, A&W would have learned from this decades ago and become a much more successful franchise than it is today. So, there must be something else holding it back: maybe quality, maybe competition. In the long term you can't blame your mediocre position on customers being too stupid to realize you're the best. Well, you can, but it won't help. I think this is a fun story to tell, but probably apocryphal, or just the wrong explanation.