Setting the Table
Most new restaurants don't last. The statistics are brutal: three quarters fold before they find their feet, and genuine icons are even rarer. So how did Danny Meyer open Union Square Cafe at just 27, armed with little more than a solid idea and some willing backers, and go on to build one of America's most celebrated restaurant groups? This book is his answer. At the heart of it is what Meyer calls Enlightened Hospitality, a philosophy that puts internal relationships front and centre alongside the guest experience. It's a refreshingly honest approach: treat the people you work with well, and that warmth tends to ripple outward. What makes the book particularly useful is its reach beyond the hospitality industry. Whether you're running a team, serving customers, or managing up, the principles here translate with surprising ease. Meyer's writing is candid and grounded, drawing on real experience rather than borrowed theory. He's made mistakes, learned from them, and isn't shy about saying so. The result is a business book that feels genuinely human. Motivating without being preachy, and practical without being dry, 'Setting the Table' offers a compelling case that good business and good values aren't in competition with each other. They tend, in fact, to go hand in hand.
- Author: Danny Meyer
- Publisher: Ecco
- Genre: Entrepreneurship
- ISBN: 978-0060742768
- Pages: 336 pages