Besides profit, other financial targets include return on equity, cash flow and return on invested capital.

WSJ: Executive Bonuses Bounce Back

The price of gas must rise to a level where it is profitable and companies can make a return on their invested capital on a cash flow basis to be willing to assume the risk to exploit these resources.

FORBES: My Prediction Was Wrong: Why We Didn't Get To $8 Natural Gas

And because Choice is a franchisor, there's precious little of its own cash going into all this: The company's 70% return on invested capital is several times that of Hilton and Marriott.

FORBES: The Motelier