Go Beyond Excellent Service & Learn From a Guru of Hospitality

Number 132

Since he opened the Union Square Café at age 27, Danny Meyer has been putting his stamp on the competitive New York City restaurant business. Today his company owns 11 of the City’s most beloved restaurants, and Danny and the group have won an unprecedented 19 James Beard awards.

Meyer is known not just for those fine establishments, however. Business students and aspiring entrepreneurs look to him as the author of “Setting the Table – The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business.”

His 2006 book is not only a fascinating autobiography, rich in accounts of wonderful meals in Europe and across the U.S. It also is a useful guide for people running service businesses, or anyone who wants to provide stellar service and effective leadership within an organization. Here are a few tips from Meyer:

• Provide hospitality, not just service. Meyer says that nothing is as important as how one is made to feel in any business transaction. Customers experience “hospitality” when they believe the other person is on their side – when something happens for them, and not just to them. “Service” describes how well things are done, and what is delivered to a customer. But “hospitality” goes further, to reflect the way that delivery of a product makes the recipient feel.
• Turn mistakes around. Even in first class operations like Meyer’s, mistakes happen and customers sometimes are disappointed. The trick is to “write a great last chapter,” so that customers remember not only what went wrong but also the great way that the episode was handled. For example, if a waiter spills wine on a customer’s jacket, Meyer’s team might send it out for one-hour cleaning, while entertaining the customer with extra -- and complimentary – courses. You cannot change what happened, but you can create a new ending so that the story finishes in a way that works for you. Here are Meyer’s five “As” for addressing mistakes:
  • Awareness – Notice what happened.
  • Acknowledgement – Confess the truth, such as with, “Our server had an accident and we’ll bring a new plate as soon as possible.”
  • Apologize -- Say you are sorry (but don’t make excuses).
  • Action – Say what you will do to make amends, and follow through.
  • Additional generosity – Offer something complimentary to show that your apology is sincere.
• Hire 51 percenters. Meyer attributes much of his success to careful hiring. He says that the only way a company can grow, while “staying true to its soul,” is to hire and keep great people. In selecting staff, he looks for people whose skills are divided about 51:49 “between emotional hospitality and technical excellence.” He seeks people “who naturally radiate warmth, friendliness, happiness and kindness.”