The Business of Hospitality

Danny Meyer has learned a thing or two about business since he opened the Union Square Cafe in New York City in 1985. The downtown eatery has become the cornerstone of one of America's most successful restaurant organizations, a culinary empire that runs the gamut from white tablecloth to outdoor hamburger shack. The common theme, as he explains in his new memoir-cum-business manual, Setting the Table (HarperCollins), is something he calls "enlightened hospitality," an idea he will happily apply to any business endeavor. He serves up quite a bit of advice in his book. A sampling: