Transcript
Introduction
Patrick
My guest today is Danny Meyer, the founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which compromises some of the most acclaimed restaurants in New York City like Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. Danny is also the founder and chairman of Shake Shack, which began in New York City, but is now a publicly traded company with hundreds of locations worldwide.
Our conversation focuses on how great hospitality leads to great business, regardless of the sector that it's in. We discuss why hospitality is the starting point for Danny's business philosophy, why first impressions matter, Danny's concept of ABCD, which stands for Always Be Connecting Dots, how to scale hospitality, and how to build a business with essentialism and soul.
Just the other day, when my son went ice skating for the first time and fell a lot, he said to me, "Well, you learn from your mistakes. So you try to make as many of them as you can." You'll hear Danny say something powerfully similar late in our conversation. It's a lovely thought then that I found out that my son, my first born, was a boy in one of Danny's restaurants, in a reveal orchestrated by his incredible team. I hope you enjoy this wonderful conversation.