Amongst the most successful restaurateurs of the last 50 years, one stands out: Danny Meyer. Danny conceived of, built, and reinvented world-famous venues like Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and my own personal favorite (and a frequent lunch stop just down the street from my office in Chicago), Shake Shack.
Danny’s path to success was anything but linear. In his exceptional memoir, Setting The Table, Meyer recounts his struggles in his twenties as he attempted to manage his staff at his first NYC restaurant, Union Square Cafe.
Complaining to his mentor Pat Cetta, Danny “bemoaned the fact that [he] was failing to get any kind of consistent message across to [his] staff members regarding standards of excellence.” His staff was consistently missing the mark, and Meyer’s patience was starting to wear thin. It was starting to show — to his staff, his family, and to Pat.
As they discussed all the little misses in execution that seemed to pile up around him, Cetta smiled at Danny, and said in a thick New York accent:“If you choose to get upset about this, you are missing the boat, luvah”
He then proceeded to illustrate his point. As Danny tells it: