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.
Close your eyes and place your finger on a map. Wherever it lands, that's the theme of the evening. So many times we settle for routine dishes. This forces you to try new cuisines.
I've seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about or even come close to reproducing it. It is perhaps the most misunderstood country and cuisine on Earth.
Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die.
He showed the words “chocolate cake” to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. “Guilt” was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: “celebration.
But some of us are beginning to pull well away, in our irritation, from...the exquisite tasters, the vintage snobs, the three-star Michelin gourmets. There is, we feel, a decent area somewhere between boiled carrots and Beluga caviare, sour plonk and Chateau Lafitte, where we can take care of our gullets and bellies without worshipping them.
Food is our common ground, a universal experience.
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