Cramer on the Power of High-Level Hospitality

The phrase, "the customer is always right," may sound cliche, but Danny Meyer would probably beg to differ.

Meyer, restaurateur and author of "Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business," believes that the companies that exalt their clients are the most likely to succeed. Forget simple service, he’s talking high-level hospitality. It’s that kind of dedication to customers that breeds loyalty in return, even in the worst of economic times.

Meyer’s theory has panned out, as his favorite businesses outperformed throughout the Great Recession and continue to thrive today. Cramer tapped Meyer back on Feb. 2, 2009, to create a hospitality index to track the performance of these top companies, including the likes of American Express, eBay , Costco , Goldman Sachs , Apple and 12 others.

So how are these companies doing today? Cramer went through the list to find out. Watch the video to see his full report.

—Written and edited by Tom Brennan and Drew Sandholm

When this story was published, Cramer's charitable trust owned American Express, Apple and Costco.

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