Rainforest Cafe Inc. Research Report

Essay by whistle17University, Bachelor'sA+, December 1996

download word file, 5 pages 3.8

The bibliography is not exactly correct. I did this with about 3 true sources in one night. -

RAINFOREST CAFE, INC.

OUTLINE TO RAINFOREST CAFE RESEARCH REPORT

CORPORATE BACKGROUND

History

Formation

Rainforest Cafe, Inc. was incorporated in Minnesota on February 3, 1994 to own

and operate restaurant and retail facilities under the name of 'Rainforest Cafe - A

Wild Place to Shop and Eat.'

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Election. Lyle Berman was elected Chairman and CEO of Rainforest Cafe at its

inception in February 1994.

Background. Berman has been Chairman and CEO of Grand Casinos, Inc. and

its predecessor since October 1990. He is also CEO and a director of

Stratosphere Corporation, and a director of G-III Apparel Group Ltd., Innovative

Gaming Corporation of America and New Horizon Kids Quest, Inc. He previously

was the President and CEO of Berman Specialty Stores, Inc. ('Bermans') from

1978 until November 1988 when Bermans was acquired by Wilson Suede and

Leather, a subsidiary of Melville Corporation.

President and Chief Operating Officer

Election. Martin J. O'Dowd was elected in May of 1995. He is the first to hold

this position. As of November 18, 1996 O'Dowd has taken a 30 day leave of

absence for personal reasons. Dennis Nielson, analyst for R. J. Steichen,

predicts that if the leave is only 30 days there should not be a lasting impact on

the company (Nielson, November 18, 1996).

Background. O'Dowd is a director of Elephant and Castle Group, Inc. He was

previously the Corporate Director, Food & Beverage Services for Holiday Inn

Worldwide from July 1987 to May 1995. From August 1985 to July 1987, O'Dowd

was Vice President and General Operations Manager for the Hard Rock Cafe in

New York.

Management Philosophy. Berman and O'Dowd stated that they are...