Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

Author:Danny Meyer
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollins

CHAPTER 8

Broadcasting the Message, Tuning in the Feedback

THE FOUNDER OF ANY new business has an opportunity to initiate the first expression of that business’s point of view through a compendium of aesthetic and philosophical choices. The minute the business hangs its shingle on the door it is not only open for business, but open to public feedback and scrutiny. Effective businesses remain true to their core, but also know how to hear, respond, and adjust to constructive feedback. In my business, much of this input comes from restaurant critics and journalists.

The press loves covering restaurants, and with each year its voracious appetite continues to grow, in response, I assume, to the public’s own insatiable interest in consuming and devouring information about dining out. On our best days, the media can be extremely helpful to our business. When we err, or are perceived to have fallen short of someone’s mark, or simply fall out of favor, negative press can set back our business. Imagine that I’m standing on the shores of Manhattan and I am required to cross the Atlantic to France. The catch is that to get there, I have only two options: I can either swim or ride there on the back of a shark. Swimming is obviously out of the question. I’ll tire, freeze, and soon drown. My only choice then, is to hop on the back of the shark and ride with exceptional care and skill, or I’m lunch.

The shark, you see, is the press, and it needs to keep swimming or it dies. I can benefit from acting very carefully with that knowledge. If my riding technique is expert, the shark can be my vehicle to deliver me safely to my destination. In my experience of riding sharks, I’ve been tossed off, nipped at, and even bitten—but not, so far, devoured. And I’ve always managed to reach my destination. Sometimes I’ve even enjoyed the ride.

Like most business owners and CEOs, I am responsible for articulating to the public the core principles and values for which we want our business known. I always try to use media interviews to elaborate on those business concepts, and that’s when the ride begins. It’s a high-risk game: play it well and you will fill seats, build the top line, and attract new employees; make a mistake and the penalties can be stiff, either for your business, for staff morale, or for your hard-earned reputation. With the exception of late-breaking news, most journalists’ stories, even those based on fresh interviews, tend to rehash material from previous stories, accurate or not. You hope the good messages get repeated by other journalists and work hard to make sure the bad ones are snuffed out quietly, or at least live a very short life.

In the summer of 2004 our business—and almost every restaurateur’s business—suffered during the Republican National Convention. It was just before the Labor Day weekend, and the city felt desolate. Many families were away on vacation, and thousands of other New Yorkers

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.