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Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
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Sales rank 57,456
Customers rating (based on 47 reviews)
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In October 1985, at age twenty-seven, Danny Meyer, with a good idea and scant experience, opened what would become one of New York City's most revered restaurants—Union Square Cafe. Little more than twenty years later, Danny is the CEO of one of the world's most dynamic restaurant organizations, which includes eleven unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How has he done it? How has he consistently beaten the odds and set the competitive bar in one of the toughest trades around? In this landmark book, Danny shares the lessons he's learned while developing the winning recipe for doing the business he calls "enlightened hospitality." This innovative philosophy emphasizes putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way: The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors. This way of prioritizing stands the more traditional business models on their heads, but Danny considers it the foundation of every success that he and his restaurants have achieved. Some of Danny's other insights: Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. These two simple concepts—for and to—express it all. Context, context, context, trumps the outdated location, location, location. Shared ownership develops when guests talk about a restaurant as if it's theirs. That sense of affiliation builds trust and invariably leads to repeat business. Err on the side of generosity: You get more by first giving more. Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, believe in it. When you cede your core values to someone else, it's time to quit. Full of behind-the-scenes history on the creation of Danny's most famous restaurants and the anecdotes, advice, and lessons he has accumulated on his long and ecstatic journey to the top of the American restaurant scene, Setting the Table is a treasure trove of innovative insights that are applicable to any business or organization.
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| Publisher | HarperCollins | | Release date | 10/2006 | | Availability | Usually ships in 24 hours | | Edition | Hardcover |
| | List price | $26.99 | | Our price | $21.05 (you save 22.01%) | | Used price | from $1.16 |
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Hospitality. Sweet.: The recipe for a sublime risotto? It's all about being nice. (@ Fast Company)
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Enlightened hospitality, indeed
I've been an admirer of Danny Meyer ever since I read an article on him and Union Square Cafe in Gourmet magazine several years ago. This book didn't disappoint. It gave me a lot of things to think about as I move ahead in my own small business. Highly recommended for those who want to look at things differently, who always suspected that while the customer may not always be "right," there are ways to make it right, and that it starts with treating your employees very well. If they feel loved, they will pass on the love.
You don't have to run a restaurant to like this book
Danny Meyer's Setting the Table is an autobiography mostly about his years as a restaurateur.
Even thought this book is an autobiography, this book is practically a how-to book on running a small business mainly about managing people, maintaining customer relationship, and setting up a business. Even though this book focuses on running restaurants, I think topics can cross over to other businesses. The first part of the book is autobiographical but the how-to part starts in the middle of the book.
This book was recommended by Jim Cramer in his book Getting Back to Even.
There is a lot of takeways in this book - a long list. The ones that some to mind:
- Make sure your product is clearly not confusing
- "Who said that cannot be done?"
- Find the "overwhelming" employees, steer clear of the "whelming", and avoid the "underwhelming".
- There are some people who just want to be average.
There is little doubt that Meyer loves food. It is a good thing I watch Top Chef in order to appreciate his perspective as a food lover and restaurateur. Also from reading this book, now I know why my favorite restaurants, particularly the upscale restaurants, treat me the way they do, even though I dress shabby.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to be an entrepreneur or running a business, particularly in the restaurant business.
Insight on success
Read the book... It is not often that one can see though the eyes of a master of his craft. Here you can.
 Setting the table...
Good overall book, however not totally what I was expecting when I ordered it. It was a lot of history and background about Danny instead of how you can improve yourself while working in the hospitality business. More in the second half was about how to improve. Overall, a good product.
Transforming the Power of My Business
I own two restaurants and I got more out of this book in 3 days than I learned in business in 3 years.
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