A great restaurant doesn't distinguish itself by how few mistakes it makes but by how well they handle those mistakes.
Danny MeyerRead
In an age when so many groups are rolling out restaurants faster than your local baker makes donuts, my goal is that each restaurant feels hand-crafted. That they have their own soul.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of individuality and care in the creation of restaurants amidst a trend of rapid proliferation.
Danny Meyer highlights a desire for his restaurants to have a unique identity and essence, contrasting with the rapid establishment of numerous generic dining options. He advocates for a more thoughtful approach to restaurant creation, where each one is crafted with attention to detail and a personal touch, akin to how a local baker thoughtfully makes each donut.
In practice
Use this quote to emphasize the importance of quality in a restaurant presentation at a culinary school event.
A great restaurant doesn't distinguish itself by how few mistakes it makes but by how well they handle those mistakes.
My history has been to grow the roots as deeply as you can before going on to the next thing. That's why it took 10 years to go from Union Square Cafe to Gramercy Tavern, and another 10 years to go from Blue Smoke's first location to its second, and five to go from Shake Shack 1 to Shake Shack 2.
The most important thing you can do is make the distinction between customer service and guest hospitality. You need both things to thrive, but they are completely different.
Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple prepositions - for and to - express it all.
Bread is for us a kind of successor to the motherly breast, and it has been over the centuries responsible for billions of sighs of satisfaction.
People are generally proud of their food. A willingness to eat and drink with people without fear and prejudice... they open up to you in ways that somebody visiting who is driven by a story may not get.
Food that's served at the table in a paper parcel always creates a remarkable culinary moment when opened, because the package is full of aromatic steam from the lightly cooked ingredients inside.
People in Slow Food understand that food is an environmental issue.
Of all smells, bread; of all tastes, salt.
I always tell people that they are really the critics. If people come three times a week to your restaurant they are the ones who find something they really love.
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