Book Review: Setting the Table

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. Danny Meyer is an inspirational personality, no doubt. He was definitely 'born for business'. Growing up in a business family, he keenly observed his father's successes and failures. European food culture and hospitality had a profound impact on his outlook to life and business. He worshiped his father even when his business and marriage was failing. It is very touching to read about his relationship with his parents. Food was his place of comfort. He had the best of European and American food available to him. Reading about it will surely make you hungry. I advise people to sit down with a snack or after a major meal to read this book! 
How Danny got into the restaurant business is an interesting story. He tried many other professions before his entrepreneurial journey but one can easily notice his entrepreneurial spirit running through them all. When he finally realised his true calling, there was no turning back! My Indian heritage has taught me a lot about hospitality and how to treat guests. Danny's "enlightened hospitality" concept gets plenty of nods of approval from me. It's lovely to see that he seeks out emotional intelligence and empathy in his employees and extends his hospitality beyond just his customers. There is a lot to learn about business from Danny. One of the most important lessons would be to generate wealth for the community. Making sure guests feel heard and cared for is one of the keys to his success. Danny's generosity is truly inspiring.
Some things I didn't quite enjoy about the book was it's repetitive nature and poor structuring. It felt like I was hearing roughly the same thing again and again once I crossed the halfway mark on the book. The book touches on the some of the author's struggles with work-life balance and his wife's role but would have liked to know more about this.
Would I recommend this book? That is a hard question to answer simply because it wouldn't necessarily help a newbie get started in this business. There were a lot things that fell in place for Danny and many things that his family and influential friends managed to help him with. However, someone looking to take their business to the next level and earn more loyal customers would benefit from Danny's wisdom.

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