I think the author was being a tiny bit hyperbolic saying "nothing really matters but value for the customer". In a restaurant kitchen, the goal is to get food

I think the author was being a tiny bit hyperbolic saying "nothing really matters but value for the customer". In a restaurant kitchen, the goal is to get food into the customer's mouth... but you still want to keep your knives clean and tidy. Of course, keeping them tidy isn't the point of the restaurant either.