Rainforest Cafe
Restaurant logo (2000-present) Shown at all locations except Ikspiarai
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | February 3, 1994, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Founder | Steven Schussler |
| Headquarters | Houston, United States |
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Number of locations
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28 restaurants |
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Key people
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Steven Schussler, Founder Tilman J. Fertitta Chairman, President, and Chief executive officer |
| Products | Pasta, Seafood, Salad, Sandwiches, Dessert; Merchandise |
| Revenue |
 US $108 million (1997) |
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$12 million (1997) |
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| Parent | Landry's Restaurants |
| Website | RainforestCafe.com |
Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's, Inc. of Houston. It was founded by entrepreneur Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on February 3, 1994. By 1997, the chain consisted of six restaurants, all in the United States. In 1998, it was planned to build 12 additional restaurants in the United States, seven in Mexico, and five in the UK, for a total of 22 restaurants by 2008.
In 2000, the Rainforest Cafe was bought by Landry's Restaurants Inc., a company specializing in dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming, based in Houston, Texas. To date, the company owns restaurants in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, the U.A.E., Japan and India. Rainforest Cafe focuses on local tourism for a majority of their income.
Each Rainforest Cafe restaurant is designed to depict some features of a tropical rainforest, including plant growth; mist; waterfalls; and figures of rainforest animals, including elephants, frogs, gorillas, jaguars, tigers, and tropical birds. Most locations also have themed exteriors as well as interiors. The Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney), Orlando, located under a large artificial volcano which erupts during the simulated thunderstorms. Others, such as the locations in Atlantic City; Anaheim; and Niagara Falls, New York; have the appearance of ancient jungle ruins, namely Palenque. Mall locations usually have waterfalls and simulated plant growth outside of them, visible to those who pass in the mall. Nearly all locations have a 'wishing pond', usually with a moving crocodile figure, where guests are invited to toss coins, aiming for the crocodile's mouth.
The restaurants are partitioned into several rooms by means of rain curtains that fall into basins running along the tops of partition walls and booths and aquariums. Most locations have two tanks connected, but at the Walt Disney World locations, three tanks are connected. One portion of most locations includes a bar located underneath an enormous mushroom. The chain is known for its characteristic bar stools, made to resemble the legs of animals, designed and sculpted by the artist Glenn Carter. There is usually a star ceiling in the middle of the restaurant, which are designed and manufactured by Fiber Optic Systems Inc, located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
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Wikipedia