Posts tagged Rainforest Cafe
No is Yes Waiting to Happen!
Dec 6th
Steven Schussler is a member of the Executive Speakers Bureau. Click here to read him talk about one of his favorite sayings.
http://www.executivespeakers.com/speakerchat/index.php/2011/11/22/no-is-yes-waiting-to-happen/
Steven Schussler: ‘I’m not one who gives up’
Jan 16th
Steven Schussler: ‘I’m not one who gives up’
Creative stunts helped Steven Schussler launch his career and later get Rainforest Cafe off the ground.
By WENDY LEE, Star Tribune
Before Steven Schussler created and sold the Rainforest Cafe, his neighbors thought he was into black magic.
Schussler spent nearly $400,000 turning his St. Louis Park home into his concept, with sound systems, waterfalls, 40 tropical birds, two 150-pound tortoises and other exotic animals.
He painted his ceilings black, so that when the greenery couldn’t cover all parts of the wall the rainforest facade would look more real. He spent nights crying and at times, even he questioned whether he was psychotic.
read more…http://www.schusslercreative.com/press_articles.html
The 5 P’s of Entrepreneurial Success
Jan 10th
In any economy, in any job market, whatever the size of the initial budget you just can’t keep a good entrepreneur down. No one knows that better than Steven Schussler, the man behind the Rainforest Cafe and a host of other wildly successful projects.
Learn more about the 5 P’s of Entrepreneurial Success in his book “It’s A Jungle In There” Personality: The Role of Risk-Taking in Entrepreneurial Success: Many people prefer to play it safe when it comes to business matters. Are you willing to take risks in the pursuit of entrepreneurial success? Steven Schussler
2011 Who’s Who of Franchising’s Elite
Jan 4th
Franchise Times – 20 to Watch 2011 Who’s Who of franchising’s elite. Every year Franchise Times consults our Ouija Board to predict who will be the industry’s top movers, shakers and money makers. Some will have a banner year, while others–not so much. We don’t have time or space to do justice to these 20 notables, but we expect their stories will unfold on our pages over the next several months. And by year-end, you’ll have a complete picture.
Number (7) on Top 20 List to Watch
Betty & Joe’s™ Baker & Coffee Baker™ You Can’t Have One Without the Other™
Hot Dog Hall of Fame™ Frankly the Best Hot Dogs, Sausages, Dumplings and French Fries in the World!™
The people who brought us elaborately themed restaurants like Rainforest Cafe® and T-Rex Cafe® (life-size mechanical dinosaurs) are plotting their foray into franchising with their smaller, but equally quirky, concepts. Betty & Joe’s Baker & Coffee Maker™ and Hot Dog Hall of Fame™. One unit of each has been opened for around two years, Jeff Bornmann, CFO, said. Betty & Joe’s will pair traditional coffee offerings with better food, while the hot dogs are painted with gourmet mustards. Steven Schussler’s Creativity should spice up the franchise front. So coffee franchises and dogs beware. Franchise Times January 2011
“Celebrate Uptown” Speech Expo & Book Sales – Uptown Association
Dec 23rd
“Celebrate Uptown: Speech Expo & Book Sales – Uptown Association
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2010
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m
Keynote Speech: 6:30 p.m. by Steven Schussler
Location: Uptown Association
RSVP: 612-929-9000
The UPTOWN ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING is set for Tuesday, JANUARY 25 and we’re inviting the community to ‘Celebrate Uptown’! A key component of the festivities will be a Business & Community Expo honoring the diverse businesses and organizations that make Uptown vibrant and unique. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet new people & promote your products or services to your neighbors. ALL TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE WELCOME. After the Expo, be sure to stick around for Mayor Rybak and keynote speaker Steven Schussler– Chairman & CEO of Rainforest Cafe and renowned author of “It’s A Jungle In There.”
ROI Leader Forum Announcement for January 14, 2011
Dec 23rd
ROI Leader Forum Announcement for January 14, 2011
Topic: “A Guide to Entrepreneurial Success”
Speaker: Steven Schussler, Founder and CEO of Schussler Creative, Inc.
Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker and Author of the National Bestseller “It’s A Jungle In There” Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights and Other Acts of Entrepreneural Daring.
Time:
7:30 a.m. – 7: 45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
7:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Presentation and Networking
Location: Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company LLP
2501 Wayzata Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55405
COST: Free!
To reserve your place at one of these seminars, please contact Jean LaPlante.
Passion and imagination—two of the most powerful engines of success—combined with persistence and an unwavering belief in his dreams, has compelled Steven Schussler for decades. Well-known as the creator of the Rainforest Cafe ®, A Wild Place To Shop and Eat™ launched at the Mall of America in 1994, Schussler and his team have built 45 Rainforest Cafes in seven years on three continents winning more than 40 awards in the process! A premier branding expert™, he founded Schussler Creative in 2000 and has recently published his inspiring lessons, hard-won insights, and other acts of entrepreneurial daring in a national bestseller, “It’s a Jungle in There.” Come listen to his tales about being a restaurateur, branding expert and creative consultant, as well as a speaker and author. Leave with insights into the Five P’s for Business Success: Personality, Product, Persistence, People and Philanthropy.
STEVEN SCHUSSLER, started his entrepreneurial career at age 9 with a paper route. He became a television and radio executive, and eventually embraced his passion for conceiving theatrical environments that appeal to the masses—in his restaurants, retail attractions, and entertainment venues worldwide. A living example of entrepreneurial social responsibility, Schussler is dedicating 100% of the authors sales benefit Smile Network International, a non-profit organization and their mission of surgically repairing cleft lips and palates of impoverished children and young adults worldwide. In addition, he teaches an entrepreneurial class at the UMN Carlson School of Business Management, and writes a monthly column, “Back Talk,” for Minnesota Business Magazine. For further information, visit www.schusslercreative.com.
It’s a Jungle in There – Steven Schussler on Entrepreneurship Hosted By: MOJO Minnesota and MHTA
Dec 19th
MOJO Minnesota, with co-host MHTA, invites you to the Target Performance Hall on January 12th for a look inside the imaginative mind of Steven Schussler, a Minnesota entrepreneurial superstar. Schussler, the creator of Rainforest Cafe and Galaxy Drive-In and now author of #1 national bestseller It’s a Jungle in There, will talk about his story of innovation, risk and wild success – with Q&A to follow. Schussler donates all profits from his book to Smile Network International.
50 lucky attendees will win a free copy of It’s a Jungle in There.
Thank Eide Bailly for the generous sponsorship that made this event possible.
Date: Wed., January 12th
Time: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Location:
Open Book – Target Performance Hall
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Admission is free but space limited (so act fast!). Refreshments provided.
For more information, contact Brad Lehrman blehrman@lommen.com.
http://mojominnesota.com/
To view Steven Schussler Speaking Schedule visit http://www.schusslercreative.com/schussler_author.html
Steven Schussler appears Live on Fox & Friends
Nov 18th
It’s a Jungle In There By Rainforest Cafe® Creator Steven Schussler
Andrew Marc will Sponsor The Building of the Structure, and will Feature Their Fall 2010 Outerwear Event to Raise Awareness for Smile Network International
(THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—It was announced early this morning that a 15-ton palace carved out of more than 30,000 pounds of ice will be constructed on the Fox Plaza, 48th Street and Avenue of the Americas, for a “Fox and Friends” interview on Friday, November 19th in support of a book segment for It’s a Jungle in There, written by author and Rainforest Cafe® creator Steven Schussler with Marvin Karlins. The mission for the event is to raise awareness for Smile Network International, (www.smilenetwork.org), a Minnesota-based 501(c) 3 organization that surgically repairs cleft lips and palates of impoverished young people around the world. Steven Schussler is a founding member and lifetime advisor of the board of directors, and 100% of his proceeds from the book will go to Smile Network International. The event will be sponsored by the Andrew Marc luxury apparel brand, who will supply the hosts of the TV show with garments from their fall 2010 collection. Andrew Marc will also spearhead a sweepstakes for the viewers to enter to win a $1,000 shopping spree on AndrewMarc.com. In addition, their team of models will also be passing out hot chocolate & biscotti to people in and around the plaza.
Originally from Rockaway Beach, New York, Steven Schussler is no stranger to PR stunts, and his book, It’s a Jungle in There, encourages anyone with a dream to “learn to become a creative genius, and take your ideas as far as you can to make them come true.” In order to attract investors for his idea of Rainforest Cafe, he transformed his home into the Rainforest Cafe® prototype. After four years of showing the concept to potential investors, Schussler opened the first Rainforest Cafe® at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota in October 1994. He and his public company built and operated 45 Rainforest Cafe® restaurants in seven years, on three continents and sold the chain to Landry’s Restaurants Inc. in 2000. Before selling to Landry’s, Rainforest Cafe® received over 40 awards in 6 years including: Fortune Magazine’s “Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.A.” (named to the list two consecutive years); Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Hot Concept Award,” and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 100 Entreprenuers.”
Steven Schussler says, “What better way to kick-off Thanksgiving than by giving thanks for what you have. At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you can acquire in your life, but how much you can help others. In Chapter 28 of my book, It’s a Jungle in There, I talk about the importance of philanthropy and how entrepreneurs must embrace social responsibility. My motive for creating the Ice Palace on the Fox Plaza is to raise awareness for Smile Network International, and to share the message that anyone can overcome obstacles and get ahead in business if they put their mind to it.”
The Ice Palace, which is also a prototype for Steven Schussler’s concept restaurant called, “Water, Fire & Ice™ The Ultra Polar Lounge™,” will be carved by Minneapolis-based Ice Occasions™ owner, Chris Swarbrick. His team also created sculptures for the Vancouver Olympics, and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. “It will take (100) 300-pound blocks of ice to construct the 15-ton Ice Palace on the Fox Plaza, and upon completion will house an ice bar stocked with Aquadeco Water in beautiful designer bottles, a circular ice couch, a fire and ice table (with real fire), an ice carving of a penguin, and a full size gorilla!,” said Swarbrick.
For More Information about the event, or to interview Steven Schussler, please contact Justin Loeber and his team at Mouth Public Relations (www.MouthPublicRelations.com), 212-260-7576; Media@MouthPublicRelations.com.
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Steve Schussler is Walt Disney of Theme Restaurants
Nov 10th
Steve Schussler is Walt Disney of theme restaurants
Behind the scenes with Rainforest Cafe owner
By Rachel Hutton Wednesday, Nov 10 2010
http://www.citypages.com/2010-11-10/restaurants/steve-schussler-is-walt-disney-of-theme-restaurants/
To view photos of the tour go to: http://tcb.citypages.com/slideshow/steve-schusslers-theme-restaurant-empire-31805049/
The offices of Schussler Creative are located in a dull, nondescript Golden Valley industrial park, near businesses that deal in the mundanities of insurance claims and automotive parts. But inside, Schussler Creative has the energy of a Silicon Valley startup. On the day I visited, I could hardly find a seat in the reception area for the assemblage of model outboard motors, revolving Ferris wheels, and Disney characters dressed in Star Wars garb. So I leaned against a ledge where a cloak-wrapped Mickey aimed his light saber at Donald Duck, who had been frozen, Han Solo-style, in a carbonite block.
All this, I soon learned, was merely a warm-up for the contents of Schussler’s adjacent warehouse. A staff member led me to the office’s utilitarian kitchenette where muffled tribal music could be heard playing behind a set of double doors. The staffer held a remote control, and I noticed that one of the buttons was labeled “FOG.” Anticipation built as it does when the line for a Disney ride inches forward: What sort of imaginary world lay beyond? More >
