It seems like a mistake for him to have done this interview. The Japanese restaurant was described in way too much detail, and if he's trying to shed his goofball image this article doesn't help (just look at the photographs...). And that overshadows the more interesting and important part of the article, which is the direction Groupon is moving in.
Maybe I misread the article but I don't recall him saying he's trying get rid of his goofball image altogether. I'd say he's trying to gradually tone it down and keep it controlled to certain situations (i.e. although it may be a part of who he is, it doesn't need to apply to Groupon).
I'm glad he did this interview since it is putting faith back into investors and the general public. It's pretty apparent that he is looking to do more than just sell daily coupons or sellout to a company offering him billions of dollars. He seems genuinely interested in doing something good with Groupon. Though he still has a ways to go, I give him respect for doing it for the right reasons.
It's just a PR trick, telling investors he's taking things seriously and learning some business 101 in a restaurant. Probably the restaurant doesn't even exist.
That was also the first thing that came into my mind. It is quite a smart human interest story, showing some humbleness, back to the basics approach, etc.
