Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

When you have a testimonial on the front of your book like “The most important business book of our time”, you are really setting yourself up for a skeptical look, even if said review is from a master of hyperbole like Jim Cramer (host of CNBC’s “Mad Money”).  Mr. Meyer has a track record of successfully launching restaurants that have contributed to revitalizing neighborhoods, demonstrate great diversity (from Indian to BBQ fare), and deliver consistently high levels of personalized service in New York City- one of the most discerning food markets in the world.

Meyer begins the book by providing a high level view of his perspective on hospitality and creating experiences.  I found two particular passages to be interesting for their applicability in event marketing and general business:

“Creating restaurants or event recipes is like composing music; there are only so many notes in the scale from which all the melodies and harmonies are created. The trick is to put those notes together in a way not heard before.”

“Hospitality is present when something happens for you.  It is absent when something happens to you.  Those two simple prepositions – for and to – express it all.”

The idea that there is no such thing as a “new idea” but rather only extensions and different combinations of existing perspectives and applications is one that rings true when thinking about product development and solution creation.  Indeed, in event management, many of the most exciting offerings are not necessarily “new”, but rather expanded access or placement of what was done elsewhere in a fresh venue. 

Meyer defines hospitality as proactive service  which at some level must involve a core individual and collective desire to serve others.  This  feels right for a variety of industries - restaurants, call centers, or retail sales.  Implied in his description is the genuine nature of the delivery of proactive service, versus a canned set of values or procedural dogma.  Every leader and team would do well to reflect on these points as a means for real dialogue on how to differentiate themselves.

In discussing people as a core asset, and explicitly the foundation of his enterprise, Meyer says “Theoretically, if the ideal candidate were to score 100 on a suitability test…his or her potential for excellence would count for 49 percent,  and innate emotional skills for hospitality would count for 51 percent.”  Stated differently, it is much easier to train someone on the process and procedure of a particular discipline than to try and change the core of their being as either optimistic or sarcastic, team oriented or selfish, honest or lacking integrity.  He goes into great detail about how he trains his managers to identify the “right” candidates and has installed lengthy interviewing and “probationary” processes to maximize the success rate in new hires.

The restaurant business, perhaps more than any other industry, presents the opportunity on almost a daily basis, for high visibility mistakes – whether it’s serving cold soup or spilling water on a guest, missing a reservation or getting the order wrong.  Meyer makes the case that how one handles these mistakes defines success (or failure).  He offers his “5 A’s for Addressing Mistakes”, which are universal in their application to those with a commitment to customer service.   A memorable quote on this topic was “Make new mistakes every day.  Don’t waste time repeating old ones.”

Meyer finishes the book with a series of interesting case studies on his accepting (and rejecting) of new opportunities.

Speaking about the organizational capacity for absorbing new opportunities he says “Think of a balloon: it isn’t really a balloon until it’s inflated, but as soon as you blow too much air into it, it’s going to pop.”  This thought is a great analogy for the need to constantly keep appropriate pressure for growth (intellectual and revenue) while having the discipline to maintain a rhythm with people and commitment to quality.

Setting the Table was an enjoyable read, quick to move through with some useful stories and perspectives.  Not too heavy to require great thought, and enough substance to elicit interesting pauses of reflection on how one can apply to current, and future business.  It may come short of Mr. Cramer’s assessment on its place in the pantheon of business literature, but it’s well worth the time invested and provides many useful perspectives no matter what your “hospitality” aims are.