Page 231 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

212 The Disney Way

Our Featured Organization:
The Cheesecake Factory

GOOD BUSINESS IS SHOW BUSINESS
The Dalai Lama once said that simplicity is the key to happiness in the
modern world. He apparently has never met David Overton, CEO of
The Cheesecake Factory. David has made a career out of creating a “show
business” restaurant concept where managing complexity is the name of
the game. When the doors open at 11 a.m., the curtain is up, so to speak.
Every detail—the lighting, the music, the temperature, the cast in perfectly-
pressed uniforms—is shining.
If you were going to start a restaurant and sat down with a blank piece
of paper, you probably wouldn’t dream of the details that David dreamed.
The idea of offering over 200 made-to-order menu items and over 50
varieties of cheesecakes and other sumptuous desserts would leave most
entrepreneurs cold. Not to mention that every single Cheesecake Factory
restaurant is custom-designed under David’s supervision. We asked David
how he decided to create such a complex menu. “I didn’t know any bet-
ter. You see, I never worked in the restaurant business before we opened,”
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replied David. “Today, it is a competitive advantage.” There is no cookie-
cutter approach in use, at least not when it comes to executing the concept
of outstanding quality with a high degree of customization. “We are mas-
terful at taking something that couldn’t be done and doing it well,” says
Peter D’Amelio, president of restaurant operations. “We bring in weird
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ingredients for three items. Nobody else does this.”
The classic restaurant chain model is grounded in simplicity of concept
and simplicity of execution. The Cheesecake Factory thrives on complexity.
Every Cheesecake Factory employee understands the all-consuming and
intense environment in which they make their living, and most are energized
by it. They are required to work harder than the average restaurant worker,
but the rewards are also greater. Most tell us that they stay because of the
high quality of food, the atmosphere, and the people on their teams.“Cast
members” know their lines; they are players in an orchestrated show that is
staged up tempo every hour of the workday.
“Our store openings are unbelievably organized,” David told us, “people
are impressed by this and they naturally team.” A difficult challenge for him,
however, is deprogramming employees who have worked at other restaurant
chains. Most are accustomed to having five tables in their stations, but The