The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled.

In Danny Meyer’s book Setting the Table, he tells of a story meeting the remarkable head of Neiman and Marcus. Stanly Markus. Who better to know what is "the best" than the man who made Neiman Marcus synonymous with excellence for more than fifty years? Danny Meyer had just opened a new restaurant and it was not going as well as he had expected. He said, “This might be the worst mistake I’ve ever made.” Stanly Marcus responded, “So you made a mistake. You need to understand something important. And listen to me carefully: The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled.”

His book Quest for the Best outlines Marcus's philosophy of what constitutes the best in goods and services and how to receive it. Marcus gives good advice on how consumers can educate themselves about the best, demand it, and get it. Originally published in 1979, Quest for the Best is timelier now than ever.

Danny Meyer's Business Card

I got Danny Meyer's business card after my hearing him speak at HD2008 - Hospitality Design. I told him how interesting he was and invited him to the AILV for a visit next time he was in town. I gave him my business card to contact me. I think there is a 99% chance that he won't actually come to the school, but I know there is a 100% chance he would not have even known about the school had I not introduced myself and traded business cards.

Danny Meyer - At HD 2008

Danny Meyer - Authentic

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business.

(This book is in the school library)

At HD – Hospitality Design 2008 – I heard Danny Meyer speak. At the age 27, 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 11 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?

At the conference, Danny shared 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.

He calls his restaurant casual elegance vs. flash and sizzle. He moves his priorities away from the theatrical to more the relatable. He wanted to build something that endures as apposed to a 2-5 year time from of most restaurants. He wanted to build for 15 to 20 years. Union Square Café proves his point as the restaurant as an institution.

He offers a sense of comfort that equals a dialogue between the organization and its customers. His goal was to upgrade what a tavern (café, bar and grill) could be! It is a place where people come together. It is a place where people dine together.

One “wickedly smart” idea was to plan for lots of corner tables. People like corner table to watch the action.

He offers authenticity. He relies on his own artistic vision. He sees this as authentic modern with real roots and offers a sense of grandeur.

To him, in a restaurant, noise is like salt to a chef. Too much is wrong, but too little is wrong, too. It has to be just right!

Hospitality in a restaurant is 51% about the food, but 49% is about how the experience make you feel.