We moved away from New York during the early days of his restaurant empire, and honestly (and regretfully), I've only eaten at Shake Shack. But if you live in the New York area or follow such things, you surely know of Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Avenue, Tabla...and his newest restaurant, Marta, has just garnered two (out of a possible three) stars in the NYTimes.
I learned about him via his book Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. I first read it shortly after it was published in 2006. Although I had no intention then of opening a restaurant, his insights resonated powerfully with me. I believed his articulation of excellence in customer service could contribute to an initiative then in progress in QWBS (or was it QES by then?) to become more customer-centered. At that time, I still labored under the belief that I could make a difference in that entrenched culture, so I reverently passed my copy along to the person spearheading the initiative in great hopes it could provide meaningful guidance. Yep, I really did.
A few years later I straggled, chilled and exhausted, into a bar at JFK juggling sodden umbrella and bags, to pass the time 'til my delayed flight The waitress who met me seemed to divine exactly what I needed. She whisked me to a quiet corner and helped me stow my things, delivered a perfect martini, checked in at just the right times and basically wrapped me in a soothing blanket of hospitality. She seemed to embody exactly what Meyer described. So I tweeted about her to #dannymeyer. When my plane landed in Portland, I found a message asking me to pass along her name and restaurant because she sounded like someone who should work at a DM restaurant. Unfortunately I hadn't done my homework to get her particulars, (yes, I suck), but I was duly impressed at the response.
So a few weeks ago I ordered another copy of Setting the Table and have been reading it again, this time with a highlighter pen.
The quote that had stuck with me all these years (in lousy paraphrase) is this:
It's pretty easy to spot an overwhelmingly strong candidate or even an underwhelmingly weak candidate. It's the "whelming" candidate you must avoid at all costs, because that's the one who can and will do your organization the most long-lasting harm...They infuse an organization and its staff with mediocrity; they're comfortable, so they never leave; and, frustratingly, they never do anything that rises to the level of getting them promoted or sinks to the level of getting them fired. And because you either can't or won't fire them, you and they conspire to send a dangerous message to your staff and guests that "average" is acceptable. (p. 151)
Then there's the question DM poses on page 218 for any would-be organizational leader: "Why would anyone want to be led by me?"
It's an obvious question, but it's prompted me to considerable soul-searching. I know that I have many strengths, but, as Marie, my wonderful former boss and mentor, pointed out--our weaknesses are often our strengths taken to extremes.
So my intense drive for self-sufficiency turns into inefficiency, for example. Why am I spending all these cycles trying to research / figure out everything myself? Why am I uncomfortable admitting that I don't know everything about this thing I've never done before? How can I possibly build a successful and sustainable business that way?
What would someone without this weakness do? Find an expert on the things they're not expert in. Hence, I've hired a restaurant consultant. He has decades of experience and is obviously doing this work as a labor of love, because his fees are almost astoundingly reasonable and he takes a near proprietorial interest in his customers' businesses. He has extensive connections in the business, knows all of the regulatory issues and will manage getting all permits, he will find and negotiate purchase and installation of equipment, he introduced me to an insurance agent who specializes in restaurants, and will oversee the build-out and key details through the opening. BAM.
If I can keep this perspective, and use my determination to succeed to push me out of my comfort zone...who knows?
