Take the Long View

Why would a man pursuing a career in law and politics suddenly give it all up and gamble his future on a restaurant? Just ask St. Louis native Danny Meyer, who turned that one restaurant into a hospitality empire and eventually founded Shake Shack, the beloved burger spot with over 250 locations around the world. Aside from the countless awards Danny Meyer has earned as a restaurateur, he also penned Setting the Table, which distills his philosophy on hospitality and leadership. But in his earlier years, he wouldn’t have predicted this future for himself.  After the success of his first restaurant, he wanted to prove to himself that it wasn’t a fluke. That challenge brought him face to face with a harsh reality: he was a horrible manager. If he was going to make both restaurants work, he had to sharpen his leadership skills and instill the values of enlightened hospitality into his team so they could carry on in his absence. This self-improvement mission would be the spark for Danny’s restaurant empire: Grame