Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

        The book “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer was a great first book to read while being a manager in a retail environment for the first time. There were multiple challenges, such as being a first-time manager, working in a retail environment, helping a new company grow, and building a marketing program. Through the challenges that I had during this internship, I was able to learn a lot from the book.

There are two examples of where I had challenges as a first-time manager. The first challenge was having to be in an environment where I wanted the service in the Creamery to be at a high level. The book talks about how “true leaders hold themselves accountable for conducting business in the same manner in which they’ve asked their team to preform” (Meyer 187). This can also be known as constant, gentle pressure, where you need all three parts in order to have effective management. I had to understand that for me to have an effect when it comes to my management style, I should not be hard on them and instead give them tough love because “Tough love is another term for frank, ‘I am on your side’ honesty” (Meyer 214). I have always been a person who can be a little too honest, so this was important for me to learn because giving out feedback to my coworkers should be in a way to help them grow. Another challenge was the importance of teamwork. Danny Meyer states that “Hospitality is a team sport” (16), and I find that important in my manager role because while I am one of the managers who works in the Creamery, I do not work alone. An experience that I had in the Creamery was that one of the owners has a high standard for cleaning, and it takes everyone to make sure that the shop is at that standard. Everyone has their own tasks, and tasks that can be worked together to help the shop sail smoothly. 

There are three challenges when it comes to the challenges of being in a retail environment for the first time. The first challenge is the challenge of hospitality. One thing that I learned from the book was that “A solid restaurant experience should make you want to return for more” (Meyer 87). The idea was that while working at the Creamery, I was to help make the customers' experience in the shop a positive one so that I could see them again if they wanted to return. There are many different ways to give that positive experience, and in the book, one way is to give the customer the “first four gifts of life: eye contact, a smile, a hug, and some food” (Meyer 2). While working at the Creamery, the food part was the easiest. Instead of a hug, I would say a conversation because then I can learn about the customer while keeping eye contact to show that the customer matters and is being heard. It is all about creating “joy” as a value in the Creamery. The final challenge is something called a 51 percenter. To classify what a 51 percenter is based on performance: 49% technical and 51% emotional. Some of the skills of a 51 percenter involve “optimistic warmth, intelligence, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity” (Meyer 143). The challenge for me in the Creamery is that in the beginning, I focused on the task more than the experience. Over time, I learned to ask questions while giving service and being aware of who I am talking to. 

The final area of challenges is helping the company grow and building a marketing program. The challenge of helping a new company grow is context, specifically creating a differentiated experience. The Creamery is a log cabin-looking shop that is in the mountains. The ice cream that we serve is homemade soft serve custard, which is usually made on the East Coast instead of the West. The challenge with creating a marketing program is telling stories. The best way for the Creamery to “invest in [the] community” is by telling stories through the use of social media and when asked by customers (Meyer 114). My challenge was building the partner program because “before you go to market, know what you are selling and to whom” (Meyer 121). For each hotel or restaurant that I want to partner with, I can not go in blindly. I need to know what I am selling to them and what the partnership would intel. 

I learned a lot from this book by Danny Meyer because it made me understand what goes into being a manager in a retail environment. The idea of hospitality can go a long way when you use it correctly, which in turn, could bring you more customers. I hope to continue to use what I have learned in this book to whenever I have to give hospitality as a host or at work.

        Being an intern manager for the first time was no easy task. This book, titled “The Making of a Manager” by Julie Zhuo, was a great book for me because it made me understand the aspects it takes to become a manager and the importance of the role. One thing that was a challenge for me while being a manager was taking risks and making mistakes. Zhuo says that “You try something. You figure out what worked and what didn’t. You file away lessons for the future. And then you get better. Rinse, repeat” (9). When I first started working, I served the ice cream a certain way and over time, it started to not work for me. I tried a different way that was way better and decided that I would get better at that way of serving ice cream. I am not proficient at it yet, but I am at a better spot than I would be if I kept doing it the other way. 

        There are three buckets that Zhuo says are things that managers think about daily: purpose, people, and process. The purpose of the Creamery is to have a customer leave the shop better than when they entered. The people aspect is a challenge because “is the team set up to succeed?” (Zhuo 23). I was not set up for success when I first came in but as a team, I was able to learn what success looks like in the Creamery. I was then able to, as a manager, help the other coworkers who needed help feel like they could succeed. I learned quickly that I need to “be yourself; everyone else is taken” (Zhuo 52). There is this challenge with being a manager that is about being someone I am not, and that will only get me so far. When I am myself, I can easily know my strengths as a manager and play to those versus strengths that are of those in which are not mine.