Many restaurateurs have little time to read, but two books on the market are especially worthwhile. Danny Meyer, pres., Union Square Hospitality Group, New York, NY, joins Alex Brennan-Martin, co-owner, Brennan’s of Houston, Houston, TX, and Commanders Palace, New Orleans, LA, and Las Vegas, NV, in the unique category of restaurateur-authors of business books. While both authors’ revealing discussions and articulate philosophies are applicable to businesses of all types, restaurateurs will gain especially valuable insights into the evolution of – and the principles behind – two highly successful restaurant companies. Both Danny and Alex are candid about miscalculations along the way, the recognition of their own blind spots, and their development as leaders. And both clearly outline the strategies behind their ultimate successes.

THE SIMPLE TRUTH, by Alex Brennan-Martin and Larry Taylor
Alex describes his transition from being a slave to management trends to a defining moment that would change his business forever. “I realized that I needed to find a simple business philosophy that I could master, rather than one that would master me,” he says. Alex and his team set about finding what he calls “The Simple Truth,” the element that uniquely defines a business from a customer’s perspective – what it is really selling, why its customers buy it, and the special ingredients that differentiate it. In the process, Alex says that his job as leader became clear – to make their Simple Truth (making great customer memories) the only objective by which to make decisions and measure performance. “Each department had been rewarded for different, and sometimes conflicting goals,” he says. “We realized that there was only one perfect scorecard – what matters most to customers, which is everyone’s ultimate job. When there is total clarity and absolute simplicity, there’s not a place for anyone to hide.” Alex also talks about training vs. teaching, the role of price, harnessing the power of his staff’s self-interest, “followship” vs. leadership (“If you don’t have followship, you’re not leading the parade – you are the parade”); and how to maintain a customer focus. “By living the Simple Truth,” says Alex, “I eliminate the need for employees to ask my opinion. They know that every decision comes back to one guiding question: Does it make great customer memories?”

SETTING THE TABLE; The Power of Hospitality in Restaurants, Business, and Life, by Danny Meyer
In this business memoir, Danny chronicles the evolution of one of the country’s most successful restaurant companies. This very personal account includes insight into family memories and personal interests, which he says are his greatest source of entrepreneurial inspiration. And it charts the codification of his basic business instincts into a coherent, core management philosophy – “enlightened hospitality.” “The most significant and lasting way for us to set ourselves apart is the way we define and deliver hospitality, which exists when someone feels you are on their side,” says Danny. “And nothing matters more than how we express hospitality to one another. We define our successes and our failures in terms of the degree to which we have championed, first, one another and then our guests, community, suppliers, and investors.” Another core philosophy is community involvement. “Generosity is clearly in our self-interest,” says Danny. “In business, as in life, you get what you give.” Among many other topics, Danny discusses hiring for hospitality with his “51% solution.” “We’re hoping to hire and develop employees whose skills are divided between ‘emotional hospitality’ (51%) and technical excellence (49%). The overarching concern to do the right thing well is something we can’t train for,” he says. “Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and that hard.”