Steven Schussler

Steven Schussler (born 1955) is an American developer of theme restaurants, best known as the creator of the Rainforest Cafe. He has created, built and owns T-Rex Cafe, Yak & Yeti Restaurant, Betty & Joe's, Hot Dog Hall of Fame, Galaxy Drive In, Backfire Barbeque, and JukeBox Saturday Night.

Schussler is the author of It’s a Jungle in There, a book chronicling his experience building businesses and providing advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Early life Schussler grew up in Queens, New York. His parents divorced when he was a child. Schussler worked a multitude of different jobs before the age of 16, ranging from newspaper delivery to bricklaying to painting. He moved to Miami at 18 in order to pursue a career in radio, working as a lineman for Southern Bell until he could find a position at a radio station.

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