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What US politicians can learn from the restaurant trade – Financial Times


Four years ago, John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor who is now vying — somewhat unsuccessfully — to become the Democratic presidential nominee, asked the restaurant owner Danny Meyer to address a convention of state governors.

Hickenlooper did not do this because he wanted Meyer to whip up a meal, provide cooking tips or discuss employment and earnings in the restaurant trade. (Meyer founded Shake Shack, a national chain, and runs a number of high-end restaurants such as The Modern and Union Square Cafe in New York.) Instead, Hickenlooper had a more urgent question: what could — or should — we all learn from the restaurant world to improve 21st-century politics? Could Congress or state legislatures find inspiration in the nation’s kitchens?

At first glance, that may seem a weird idea. After all, we do not expect our elected leaders to behave like chefs, and government is supposed to be preoccupied with loftier goals than eating out. But Hickenlooper has a background in hospitality, having co-founded a brewery business before entering politics, and has long been fascinated by the little-noticed parallels between the two worlds. “Whether you are running a state or a restaurant, three things are the same,” he told the governors. “You never have enough cash . . . you have a diverse group of people you need to make into a team — and the public is always angry about something.”

And the governors’ exchange with Meyer (which can be seen on C-SPAN) makes timely viewing as the 2020 race looms. Indeed, his message is arguably even more relevant now than it was four years ago, since it offers a way to reframe the idea of political leadership at a time when public faith in government — and elected leaders — is under attack.

The key issue at stake, in Meyer’s eyes, revolves around the concept of “service”. Politicians — like restaurant owners — live or die according to the wisdom of crowds. “We are constantly running for office when we run restaurants — we are trying to get as many votes as we possibly can,” Meyer observed. That means they should be hyper-attentive to what their “customers” want. However, in an internet-saturated world it is becoming increasingly hard to please the crowd. Consumer judgments can spread online like wildfire, in unpredictable ways. So can fake news — and good ideas. “[Today] everything is knowable,” Meyer said. “Everybody in the world is walking around as a reporter with their camera plagiarising every good idea on earth.”

To please “customers” (ie voters or eaters), would-be leaders obviously need to offer great products — be that a fantastic roast chicken or clever policy idea. But while this is a prerequisite for success, Meyer argues it is no longer sufficient, since any product can be copied at lightning speed. So the only solution, he concludes, is to put a heavy emphasis on the idea of hospitality too — or the craft of making “customers” feel valued, respected and heard.

And (perhaps ironically) the more that our everyday lives move into disembodied cyber space, the more that personal empathy matters when it comes to pleasing consumers. “You [governors] all stand for good government, which I’m so grateful for — but that [is] not enough to get re-elected,” Meyer solemnly told the governors. “Good service is like air conditioning — nobody raves about it when it works any more, but the only time you hear about service and performance is when it doesn’t work . . . The more high-tech we get in life, the more people need high-touch in their lives.”


A sceptic might say that these ideas cannot possibly be made to work in modern government, let alone in a country as large as the US, where most voters never have any chance of meeting their elected officials face to face and only ever receive “service” from low-level bureaucrats. “The analogy [of hospitality] is perfect — it’s exactly what we talk about with the services we provide [as governors],” observed Scott Walker, former governor of Wisconsin, after hearing Meyer speak. “[But even if] you have people at the top [doing it], if the front-line person is not doing it, everything breaks down.”

Meyer’s message is nonetheless thought-provoking. In theory, Donald Trump ought to understand the concept of “hospitality” well; after all, his name sits on consumer-facing businesses such as hotels and golf courses. In practice, Meyer doubts that he does. He told me this week that, in the sense of treating voters and employees with respect, he thinks “the White House right now is the antithesis of hospitality”.

Some Republicans might strongly disagree. But irrespective of any partisan split, the key question is this: in a world where “politics” is consumed with vicious fights, is it possible to remake the concept of “government” in a way that would encourage more voter loyalty and affection? Could an emphasis on “service” offer one way to rebuild a sense of civic values? Think of that as the 2020 campaign heats up – for Democrats and Republicans alike. Particularly if the candidates choose to campaign in a restaurant.

Gillian will be speaking on Moral Money and interviewing Denis McDonough, Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, at the FT Weekend Festival on September 7; ftweekendfestival.com

Follow Gillian on Twitter @gilliantett or email her at gillian.tett@ft.com

Follow @FTMag on Twitter to find out about our latest stories first. Listen and subscribe to Culture Call, a transatlantic conversation from the FT, at ft.com/culture-call or on Apple Podcasts





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