Earvin “Magic” Johnson, ever since launching his partnership with Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexo USA in 2006, has made good on his game plan to grow Sodexo-Magic, the contract foodservice business they operate together. The former L.A. Laker was in New York City recently to debut Sodexo-Magic’s newly renovated
How has your foodservice business evolved in the three years since Sodexo-Magic was formed?
It’s really been amazing. We have 16 accounts now, and when you think about it, they are with some of the biggest companies in America, including John Deere and Blue Cross Blue Shield. We’ve opened our first MarketPlace [a standalone restaurant] in Jersey City, N.J., and we operate a Sub Connection shop on the Florida A&M campus. We also do the foodservice at Mount Sinai hospital; it’s the first hospital contract we have [in New York City].
You are doing a number of outreach programs in conjunction with Mount Sinai, right?
We’ve been able to do great work with them up in Harlem. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community. We want to partner with Mount Sinai to do things like health fairs, give free check-ups, and also focus on the problems of diabetes and obesity, which affect that community in a big way. I’m so excited about what our partnership with Mount Sinai brings to the table.
How has the recession affected your business?
It really hasn’t; we’ve had steady growth, and we’re in a great position [to respond to] a lot of RFPs [requests for proposal] that are out there. We’re feeling really good about winning more contracts in the weeks ahead.
So there are a lot of RFPs circulating out there, despite the tough economy?
Yes. People still need foodservice; the economy is actually helping our business.
How so?
Many schools that used to be self-op are now letting someone else do it. They’re saving money. A lot of colleges, too, are outsourcing their foodservice rather than lose money by doing it themselves.
How is school foodservice evolving?
It is changing a lot. School systems are offering healthy choices and taking the sodas out. But it’s not only that. It’s also about the way the cafeterias look. If the kids come into the cafeterias and they look old, they won’t want to be there. Instead, they’ll hang out at the fast-food joint down the street. Kids want to hang out and lounge with their friends, so we’ve got to make it cool for them while serving healthy foods.
What is the most important thing you ask of your employees?
I make sure to talk to them and make sure they bring the best customer service. People want two things: great customer service and for the place to be clean. If we provide both of those things, we win.
How do you manage to do so much—running your business, fundraising, making personal appearances, etc.?
I have a great executive team. If I didn’t, I couldn’t do all of this. I understand how to delegate, but I’m still very involved. I’m a control freak.
Lately, Tiger Woods has been in the news quite a bit. How do you think he has handled his situation?
Tiger is a friend, and I really admire and respect him. That said, on the Friday after Thanksgiving he should have come out and said he made a mistake. As long as he doesn’t come out, the stories will keep going.
He should come out, just like I did. I came out, it happened, and I moved on. Kobe Bryant did the same thing. Tiger Woods is a world-renowned sports figure. He should just say, “I’m not perfect…I’m working on this with my wife,” and the whole thing would turn around.
Do we hold our heroes up to too high a standard?
Of course we do. Hey, we make mistakes, too. But there is one great thing about Americans: We are very forgiving, and there’s always another story. Tiger’s story replaced Michael Jackson’s. There’ll always be another story.
