For all you business owners…and workers in the service industries…

I haven’t read the book “Setting the Table,” by Danny Meyer, a successful restaurateur in New York City, but I like his ideas on hospitality.

From: All Things Considered, October 17, 2006

Restaurants in cutthroat New York City come and go like the seasons. Given those odds, restaurateur Danny Meyer’s track record is amazing. He has built an empire of 10 dining spots, from Gramercy Tavern and a burger joint called Shake Shack to his original eatery, Union Square Cafe.

People certainly come for the food. But Meyer says that what sets his restaurants apart is something that’s in the air, not on the plate.

Each diner “needs to believe that they’re the only one in the world that matters,” he says. Good service is important but will only get you so far, Meyer says. Hospitality — the quality that makes customers feel good and want to come back — is what counts.

Meyer shares the secret of his success in a new book, Setting the Table. More than just the tale of a profitable restaurateur, it’s a guide for any business that deals with the public.

Another book review by “Leading Blog” says,

“…Danny Meyer believes that business, like life, is all about how you make people feel…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…”

From a Barnes & Noble book review:

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• Context, context, context, trumps the outdated location, location, location.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.

From an interview by Star Chefs with the human resources manager of Meyer’s business:

We have a set of 5 core values that we call “Enlightened Hospitality.”

The tenets are:

1. We care for each other.
2. We care for our guests.
3. We care for our community.
4. We care for our vendors.
5. We care for our shareholders.

What’s different is that the caring is universal and reciprocal. Most people first notice that the guest doesn’t come first and profit is number 5. We believe if we take care of each other we’ll do a great job in taking care of our guests, vendors, and community. We are constantly pushing the envelope in both hospitality and excellence. We want people who are willing to be challenged to do their best work while caring simultaneously. So if you’re someone who throws temper tantrums to achieve excellence or is all about yourself, this isn’t the place for you.

It all sounds like loving your neighbor as yourself to me!