[Book] Setting the Table
You might not be familiar with the name “Union Square Hospitality Group," or USHG in short. But you'd recognize Shake Shack. I can think of five Shake Shack branches in Los Angeles in a second. It's that popular now. The USHG owns Shake Shack. It owns other restaurants known for their great food and hospitality. Danny Meyer is the founder and executive chairman of the USHG. In his book “Setting the Table” (published in 2008), he shares his philosophy, principles, and leadership styles, which are the foundations of his career in hospitality and the USHG. This book is fun, and it has a lot of episodes. I enjoyed reading it.
Salt Shaker is one of my favorite episodes. At the early stage of his career, Danny got emotional over salt shakers. Salt shakers were almost always off the center of tables, which is where they were supposed to be. His staffs and customers always moved the salt shakers off the center, and he had to place them back. He was annoyed and upset. And then he was told a great lesson:
“Your staffs and guests are always moving your salt shaker off the center. That’s their job. It’s the job of life. It’s the law of entropy. Until you understand that, you’re gonna get pissed of every time someone moved the salt shaker off center. It’s not your job to get upset. You just need to understand what they do. Your job is just to move the salt shaker back each time and let them know exactly what you stand for. Let them know what excellence looks like to you. Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, stick to it, and believe in it.”
This episode is associated with his management style, “Constant Gentle Pressure.” His job is to adjust the circumstances and keep the dance flowing with technical precision and artful grace. It’s very hard to achieve, I believe. It necessitates staff autonomy, full alignment, and adaptability to changing circumstances. And his business is known for this quality.
“Generosity of spirit and a gracious approach to problem-solving are, with few exceptions, the most effective ways I know to earn lasting goodwill for your business.”
This book shares a lot of other episodes and his principles that translate to a wide range of industries. Now I moved on to another book of hospitality, “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara. Will and Danny worked closely at USHG and there are episodes about the two in the book. I found Will’s book is more personal than “Setting the Table”, which I’m enjoying it.
