THE HAPPIEST JOB ON EARTH

While J.J. Buettgen
was the Senior Vice
President of Marketing
at Darden, there was a
story that had become
legend at the company’s
Olive Garden restaurants.
One day, a tall,
heavyset man had sat
down at a table to order
but he looked terribly
uncomfortable — he
was having trouble
squeezing into his chair.
Committed to serving
the needs of each and
every customer, the
manager raced to the
kitchen and came up
with an innovative solution.
He quickly sawed
off the arms of one of
the chairs and returned
to offer the man a newly
improved place to sit —
what would be known
from that day forward
as a “Larry-chair,”
named for the man who
had inspired the first
one.
According to Buettgen,
who has been recognized
by Advertising
Age as one of the country’s
top 100 marketers,
the story is an example
of what happens when a
company “gets it right,”
when an organization’s
advertising concept
meshes with its culture
and the actual customer
e...