Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business (2004) by Danny Meyer

Danny Meyer is a legend in the restaurant business. His bestselling business book, “Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business,” should make him a lower deity in the realm of American business gurus.

Beginning with the Union Square Café in 1985 and culminating (for now) with Shake Shack, which went public in 2015 and by 2017 had a market capitalization of nearly $1.5B, Meyer has done more than any other American restaurateur, so far as I’m aware, to create and then reinvent a world-class dining experience across a broad spectrum of genres, from white linen cloth and Dom Perignon to a sloppy cheeseburger and fries.

His secrets for success, as communicated in “Setting the Table,” really aren’t all that original or profound. Nevertheless, in this reviewer’s opinion, they are first rate.

First, he argues, be wary of so-called experts. No matter your field, there will be lots of pseudo-experts proffering wisdom and advice, often at a heavy price. The vast majority are charlatans. Pay them no mind – and certainly pay them no money. Meyer clearnly learned this lesson early on and never forgot it. His first encounter with a supposed industry expert “scared the sh—out of [him].” He wanted him to do things that, as an owner-operator, just didn’t feel right at a gut level. He ignored the “expert” and never looked back.

Second, and related to the first, Meyer learned to listen to and embrace an unfiltered customer experience. Or, as he called it: ABCD (always be collecting the dots). Customer feedback, no matter how unpleasant, is your friend. He understood that everything matters, that hospitality “is the sum of all the thoughtful, caring, gracious things [the] staff does to make you feel we are on your side when you are dining with us.” If you deliver an exceptional dining experience, no matter how defined, that restaurant will prosper.

Third, he learned to break the rules. In fact, one of Meyer’s favorite phases is “who ever wrote the rule that…” The response to that ellipsis included “…you can’t serve slow-smoked pulled pork with a glass of champagne or Chianit Classico, just off Park Avenue?” (i.e. Blue Smoke) or “you can’t create a classic burger-and-shakes drive-in in New York City, where no one drives” (i.e. Shake Shack). His basic belief is that you can always add something fresh to an existing dialogue or genre. Personally, I couldn’t agree more.

I’m not a foodie. In fact, my favorite meal is an In-N-Out double-double with fries. But I am a businessman. And Meyer’s insights and perspectives collected in “Setting the Table” have done more for me than any other business book that I can think of.