Shake up your ideas with this feast of a read

The US edition of Setting the Table, Danny Meyer’s inspiring guide to success as an independent restaurateur, has a brilliant blue cover with a single saltshaker. The edition I bought does not and that is the only weakness with this useful guide to setting up your first shop, moving from one to two, from two to four, and from four to infinity.

The saltshaker is relevant because it is attached to a brilliant story about leadership from Meyer’s early days in the mid-1980s when he had opened his first restaurant and was developing his business style.

Pat Cetta, an experienced restaurateur who informally mentored Meyer asked him to clear a table of everything except a saltshaker.

He asked: “Where is the saltshaker now”.

“Right where you told me in the centre of the table.”

“Are you sure it’s where you want it?” I looked closely. The shaker was actually about a quarter of an inch off centre. “Go ahead put it where you really want it.” I moved it very slightly to the centre. As soon as I removed my hand, Pat pushed the saltshaker three inches off centre.

“Now put it back where you want it,” he said. I returned it to dead centre. This time he moved the shaker another six inches off. “Now where do you want it?”

I slid it back. Then he explained his point: “Your staff and your guests are always moving your saltshaker off centre. That’s their job. It is the job of life. It is not your job to get upset. Your job is just to move the shaker back each time and let them know exactly what you stand for. Let them know what excellence looks like to you.”

Wherever your centre lies, know it, name it, stick to it and believe in it, Meyer advises.

Later in the same chapter he offers great advice on how to hire managers and his belief in abundance. “The more we give, the more we get back.”

He describes how Stanley Marcus, the great American retailer, taught him that the “road to success is paved with mistakes well handled” and provides a five point checklist.

He discusses how to use space in restaurants to ensure more happy customers. He explains how to gain investment, how to say no to opportunities. How to work with suppliers. How to build local connections. How to energise your local area and establish your business as part of the community.

The book is rich in detail about how it feels to grow from one business to two and how to set up a head office, when his company grew to have more than 1,000 employees.

While this is a book for every retailer to read, for those of you who love food and wine, it is a must read. His stories of his family’s business and life ups and downs provides relevance for every independent business person.

Meyer has operated a hot dog stand and a Michelin three star restaurant. His current portfolio includes many of New York’s top eateries. Setting the Table should be by your desk helping you build your business and shake up your ideas.

For more, see www.betterretailing.com.

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