Lane Cardwell

Run, Forrest, Run!

"Forrest Gump." A great movie. It lives on in the restaurant industry as the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Who would have thought it? Here is a restaurant concept that is based on a scene from a movie, and is popular whether people have seen the movie or not.  I have followed this concept ever since the mid-90's when I was at Brinker. 

While at Brinker, I got a call from an executive at Paramount Pictures asking if we would be interested in developing a concept based on the Bubba Gump character from the movie. The executive said he didn't know a lot about the restaurant business, but he did know licensing. For 7% of gross sales and 50% of the merchandise sales we could have the rights to develop the concept.

I said a lot of things, but among them was the phrase, "We'll pass." As it turned out, The Rusty Pelican organization jumped at the chance and Bubba Gump became the first theme restaurant inspired by a movie. I am sure that the Rusty Pelican execs negotiated a better deal than what we were offered on the phone.

I have been to Bubba Gump from coast to coast. Times Square, Monterey, Santa Monica, Miami and several others. They have managed to execute this concept at a higher level than might be expected given the cuteness of the theme. There is an old adage in our industry that you can have great food, or a great view, but not usually in the same place. I know, I know, there are plenty of exceptions to this, but not enough that the adage wasn't coined in the first place. The same can often be said about cuteness. It is often too easy for a heavy theme, or a great view, to become a crutch for great execution.

Bubba Gump's executes well at all levels. Food and beverage, a fun theme, but especially with their people. The People Report awarded the concept its 2006 "Heart of the Workplace" award. This "recognizes a company that models a best people practice that is exceptional in its execution in the workplace, as well as the positive impact it has on the lives of its managers and employees." In addition to numerous other awards, they also received an award from Chain Leader as one of the "Best Places to Work."

I ate at the Mall of America location last night in Bloomington, MN. It wasn't my favorite for look and feel, they didn't have enough space to make it as iconic as their other locations.  But their execution was rock solid. The theme makes me smile, but I always return for the execution. In this concept, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, however, you always know what you are going to get.

Posted by Lane Cardwell on March 24, 2008 | Comments (0)