Neither. It's Hospitality, or how you make a guest feel.

Danny Meyer, owner, Ceo, president of the union squre restaurant group in NYC, author of the book Setting the Table, explains that it's all about how you make the guest feel and having a genuine passion for taking care of the guest. There are restaurants that you go out to that the food is okay, but the experience is so wonderful you return over and over and over again. There are restaurants that you go to with amazing food, but service that is indifferent, or rude, or slow or lacking and despite the great food you enjoy, you just stop going.

The restaurants that are successful, and this is true of every other business in the service economy as well, are the ones that CARE about you, your well-being, and your experience.

I'll never forget the first time I went to see a movie at the Star John-R in Detroit in the mid-90s. It was a state of the art theatre, before the stadium seating era, but what struck me was how clean the theatre was, how much space there was to mingle so the people weren't crowded, how much everyone smiled when you bought your ticket and popcorn and everything else. How clean the restaurants were, how comfortable the rocking chair seats were. It was awesome. But the icing on the cake was this: The movie broke in the middle of the film. They got it fixed. But rather than waiting for everyone to complain afterwards demanding their money back, their entire management team and ushers were at the exit of the theatre when the movie was over passing out free passes and apologizing for the inconvenience. Everything about that experience was great and they all demonstrated they cared about my movie going experience. It's no wonder I worked for them as a General Manager in the late '90s.

I can talk about this subject all day, but in today's world and our down-turning economy, the passion for hospitality has to be what drives the business. It's not just great food. It's not service, no matter how technically proficient it is. I tall comes down to whether or not the restaurant or business owner cares about my experience and demonstrates it in every way imaginable. I've attached my notes from Danny Meyer's Book for your reference. There's a lot there. It's a very worthwhile read, and it might change the way you approach management in your restaurant or related business.

Cheers!