When Mike first stepped into the world of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, he was struck by the sheer warmth and impeccable service that seemed to flow effortlessly throughout the establishment. It’s this very essence of Meyer’s enlightened hospitality that Mike is eager to discuss, celebrating the Five A’s that have redefined customer service: Awareness, Anticipation, Acknowledgment, Action, and Accountability. Meyer’s philosophy is not just about serving food with a smile; it’s a testament to the power of genuine care and connection in every interaction. This episode is an ode to the man whose principles in hospitality extend beyond the dining room into our daily lives, touching everyone from employees to the community at large.
Check out the video version of this episode below:
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Episode transcript below:
00:00 – Mike Malatesta
On today’s episode of the how to Happen podcast, mike’s mind solo episode. I am talking about why I like and am super impressed by a gentleman named Danny Meyer. I hope you enjoy it. Hey everybody, it’s Mike, and welcome back to this Friday’s solo episode of Mike’s mind on the how to Happen podcast. So happy to have you here, and today I’m going to be sharing with you something that happened to me this morning. So this morning I was on a walk with our dog, riley, and I listened to an episode of a podcast that I like. It’s called Invest Like the Best Invest Like the Best. It’s hosted by a guy named Patrick O’Shaughnessy and even though it’s called Invest Like the Best, I especially like the conversations he has with business owners that have nothing to do with investing directly. And on today’s episode, which I’ll link in the show notes, of course, it was with Danny Meyer.
01:03
And Danny Meyer is one of my favorite entrepreneurs and a person I hope to and probably one day will meet. And if his name is unfamiliar and not familiar to you, Danny Meyer is a prominent American restaurateur and the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which is a company he founded in 1985. And Danny’s renowned for his innovative approach to hospitality. He’s revolutionized the dining experience in New York City and beyond with establishments like Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern and Shake Shack, which I think went public in 2004. So that’s like his one company that’s sort of not in the or that I know about. That’s not in the fine dining space. Anyway, danny’s philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of customer service and community, is encapsulated in his bestselling book Setting the Table, where he introduces groundbreaking concepts like enlightened hospitality.
02:04
Danny’s influence extends beyond the kitchen. He’s a pioneer in business leadership and philanthropy. He’s constantly advocating for a workplace culture that values kindness, professionalism and excellence. His contributions to the industry have been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious James Beard Award, and I’ll add that what impresses me the most about Danny Meyer is the simplicity with which he sees and applies his life and business. Like he sees simplicity and applies it to his life and his business, and it basically comes down to always do the right thing and do it with a smile. His humility which seems to always be on display because it is a true part of who he is. It’s not a mask he puts on when the mic is hot or that cameras are rolling. I just love people like that, and I know you do too, and I aspire to be one of those as often as I can be, and it’s not easy, it’s not easy. What’s also impressive about Danny is how obsessed he is with serving serving his customers, serving his staff, serving his family and serving his community.
03:19
And you and me, all of us we all know how great it feels when you have a wonderful meal and experience in a restaurant Done right. You know when it gets done right, there’s not much that’s better. But we also know what it feels like when it’s done wrong and, yeah, that can really suck. But what most of us don’t know, or at least we don’t have a deep appreciation for, is how hard and I mean really hard it is to get it right, to consistently create and deliver memorable experiences in a restaurant. It’s hard in any business, but in a restaurant in particular, and especially for top tier restaurants that Danny is really famous for and I appreciate him and everyone that strives for that, because I’m not sure that I would be able to deliver on that goal. I think I’m pretty good. I know you were pretty good. Maybe you would think that maybe you think you’d be able to deliver on that goal really easy and consistently. I don’t know. I don’t know if I could. I hope that I could, but I’m not sure.
04:23
And if you listen to this podcast, here are a couple of things that you will hear Danny talk about. So this is from his Invest Lake, the best podcast. So first is Danny Myers Five A’s. The Five A’s are the attributes and intuitions that are, in his mind at least, absolutely necessary to create consistently memorable experiences, especially when it comes to mistakes that will inevitably be made.
04:51
The first one is awareness. First A is awareness being attentive and observant about the needs of customers and the environment around your business. The example he used was that if you’re walking in, there’s a sweet and low packet an empty sweet and low packet on the ground on the floor. You pick it up because that’s not where it’s supposed to be. There’s a big difference between being seen and being aware of what it means that it was seen and doing something about it. I’ve had so many experiences in my career where people just get so used to the environment that they’re in that things that shouldn’t be where they are are where they are because they’re so used to seeing them that they don’t look out of place anymore. So you really have to train your brain to, when something is out of place, fix it, put it away, pick it up.
05:42
His second A is anticipation predicting the needs of your customers before they have to ask for something. I call this being observant. There are always cues and clues, so you have to be observant to them and when you are, you anticipate and you correct. Acknowledgment is his third A recognizing and validating your customer’s needs, questions or concerns as soon as possible. My take on that is that speed and caring wins. Danny’s fourth A is action taking steps to meet the needs or solve the problems of your customers efficiently and effectively. My take on that is do what it takes and then do just a little bit more. And Danny’s final A, his fifth A, is accountability owning up to mistakes and taking responsibility for fixing them, ensuring the customer feels valued and respected. And my take on that is to apologize, genuinely, take responsibility, fix it and make sure that the fix is acceptable for the customer and then finally learn from it so that doesn’t happen again.
06:54
And also in the podcast, danny uses this acronym he calls ABCD, which he says stands for Two Things Always Be Collecting Data and Always Be Connecting Dots. The data part emphasizes the importance of gathering information, insights and feedback continuously. You have to know what’s happening. This approach is about being observant and attentive to the details and experiences of customers, employees and the business environment. By collecting dots, the second part of ABCD, danny, talks about the accumulation of knowledge and insights that can better inform decision making, enhanced customer experiences and improve overall business operations, and this principle aligns with his broader philosophy of creating exceptional hospitality experiences by understanding and anticipating the needs and desires of customers.
07:51
He always emphasizes that you should be meeting and connecting people who can help you and who you can help be helpful to as well, and that means paying attention to the people you meet. Right sounds simple pay attention to the people you meet, giving them the gift of your presence. It means taking a moment to notice something about them. It means taking a moment or more to make them feel special, important and meaningful. So I got a lot out of my interaction with Danny Meyer today and I hope you like this Mike’s Mind episode about Danny Meyer, hope it’s been a positive add to your day and that you will find all things Danny Meyer in the show notes. I figure that he got my day started on the right foot, and maybe the same will be true for you, and I thank you for listening, watching, subscribing and following, and until next time, please maximize the greatness that is inside of you.
08:53
Hey everybody, thanks for listening to this show and before you go, I just have three requests for you. One if you like what I’m doing, please consider subscribing or following the podcast on whatever podcast platform you prefer. If you’re really into it, leave me a review, write something nice about me, give me five stars or whatever you feel is most appropriate. Number two I’ve got a book. It’s called Owner Shift how Getting Selfish Got Me Unstuck. It’s an Amazon bestseller and I’d love for you to read it or listen to it on Audible or wherever else Barnes, noble, amazon you can get it everywhere If you’re looking for inspiration that will help you unlock your greatness and potential, order or download it today so that you can add your very own copy, and if you get it, please let me know what you think.
09:37
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