Setting the Table

Everyone loves great food. Many people love dining out. But not everyone ends up opening their own restaurant. That takes a lot more enthusiasm, as the author's story illustrates.

Danny Meyer grew up with a passion for international food. Meyer's father had a deal with the airline Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua that allowed the family to fly around the world inexpensively. So Meyer from a young age travelled and learned to love all the different foods he tasted.

Many of the family’s journeys were to Europe, where Meyer was amazed by not only the cuisine but also by the culture of hospitality that he noticed was largely missing back home.

As a child, sometimes his love of food went too far. He often snuck food into his bedroom (with the help of his housekeeper!) and ate secretly. Naturally, he suffered from health problems as a result.

Yet even though Meyer knew food was his passion and he wanted to somehow make a business out of it, he wasn't sure what his first step should be. He'd been to college, and both he and his parents were skeptical about the idea of him working as a restaurateur, thinking such a profession might be “beneath” him.

Meyer eventually decided to create a restaurant which would serve only the very best cuisine and provide the excellent service he'd seen as a child in Europe.

That's how he opened the Union Square Cafe.

The author's dream came true when the cafe was launched, but the business still needed time to grow, and Meyer himself needed more time to develop further restaurants and eventually his own business model.