“For the first 10 years of my career, I was almost exclusively focused on motivating problem employees to be better, like weeds. I learned that our employees are like sunflowers. They will turn wherever the sun shines. If I spend all my attention on the weeds, I’m actually pulling gravity that way. My grandmother’s lesson was right. If I water the flowers and spend more time with people who I may have thought of as odd jobs because they do a great job, they actually pull out the weeds and the weeds take care of themselves. »
– Danny Meyer
Danny Meyer (@dhmeyer:) is the founder and chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which includes some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino and more. Denny and USHG also co-founded Shake Shack, a modern “on-the-go” burger restaurant that went public in 2015.
Danny is the author New York Times best seller Table setting, which articulates a set of signature business and life principles that translate to a wide range of industries. She is a 2017 Julia Child Award winner and nominated The time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2015. Together, Danny’s and USHG’s restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur in 2005.
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ListenCloudy#665. Danny Meyer, Founder of Shake Shack — How to Win, The Art of Saying No Gracefully, Overcoming Failure, The 6 Traits of Exceptional People, The 4 Quadrants of Performance, Lessons in Hospitality Excellence, and more.
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Want to hear an episode with someone who worked and trained with Danny before he made a name for himself? Listen to my conversation with Marco Canora where we discuss “assy” Cabernet, mentorship, constant glucose monitors, after-dinner walks, how bone broth helped Marco survive the pandemic, and not to underestimate the little nagging things both personally and in relationships. professional and much more.
#545. Marco Canora — The Art of Food, Eating, Eating and Living
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL DOWN FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Join back Danny Meyer:
USHG |: Twitter: |: Facebook Instagram:
- Setting up the table. The Transformative Power of Hospitality in Business Danny Meyer |: Amazon:
- Union Square Hospitality Group
- Reservations are not required Shake Shack
- Danny Meyer’s Dictionary |: The New York Times
- Maialino, New York City
- Da Giovanni Restaurant, Rome
- Man plans and God laughs Yiddish Wisdom
- Anne Lamothe on Taming Your Inner Critic, Finding Grace, and Prayer | The Tim Ferriss Show #522
- Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer reveals the secret ingredient to his success | Forbes:
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT) |: Wikipedia
- Elio’s, New York City
- Union Square Cafe, New York
- Gramercy Tavern, New York City
- Trinity College, Hartford
- Explore St. Louis!
- Checkpoint systems
- Hospitality Lessons from Danny Meyer’s “Setting the Table” | American officer
- Relais & Châteaux:
- La Réserve, Bordeaux |: Trip Advisor
- Restaurant Dubern à Bordeaux |: Panier de Saison
- What do Michelin stars mean? Culinary Education Institute
- The dirty secret of “Secret Family Recipes”. Gastro Obscura
- Runnin’ Down a Dream. How to Succeed and Thrive in the Career You Love by Bill Gurley | McCombs School, University of Texas
- Pros and cons of performing in a restaurant Eater
- Two things my father’s bankruptcy taught me Inc.
- How Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer Built an Employee-Centered Empire | LinkedIn:
- Tom Sawyer Whitens the Fence | PBS:
- Completing Tipping and the Virtuous Cycle of Enlightened Hospitality by Adam Brown | Average:
- Tribe of mentors. Short Life Tips from the World’s Best by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon:
- The Daily Princetonian
- Interview Questions That Limit Employee Turnover | Hospitality hotline
- Iconic photo that belies true history | Sports History Weekly
- John McEnroe’s epic Wimbledon chase. “You can’t be serious!” |: ESPN Archives
- Theo Epstein Curse Breakers |: FiveThirtyEight:
- Moneyball. The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis | Amazon:
- Best Exotic Nargiz Hotel |: Prime Video:
- Tabla to close in December — Danny Meyer’s first cover | Eater NY
- Q&A with Danny Meyer. How to close a restaurant | Atlantic Ocean
- Ratatouille | Prime Video:
- Danny Meyer’s North End Grill is closing at the end of 2018 | Eater NY
- Culinary Institute of America
- The Ultimate Guide to Tipping in America | Travel Insider:
- Cold Turkey by John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band |: YouTube:
- The “Hospitality Included” movement of New York restaurants is slowly picking up Steam | Nation’s Restaurant News
- The Modern, New York City
- Back to tipping, but let them share | USHG:
- This is marketing. you cannot see until you learn to see Seth God | Amazon:
- Special. Lockhart Link Burger At Shake Shack |: Pop.Bop.Shop.
EXHIBITIONS
Editor’s Note: timestamps will be added soon.
- The meaning of Maialino.
- Control vs. surprises.
- Key conversation.
- Converting the dash.
- ABCD: Always be collect dots; to always be turning on dots.
- Dan’s first steps into cooking.
- Get paid the worst to learn from the best.
- How is business like gardening?
- A virtuous cycle of stakeholders.
- The true downfall of politeness.
- Six traits Danny looks for when hiring.
- Lessons in work ethics from Theo Epstein.
- Should they stay or go?
- A soft landing from a beloved failure.
- Embracing a tipping culture.
- 51 percent.
- The most awarded books.
- Seth Godin is a man.
- Danny’s billboard.
- Hope vs. Optimism.
- Parting thoughts.
MORE INTERVIEWS FROM DANNY MAYER
“Hospitality is a team sport.”
– Danny Meyer
“I kind of have a mixed bag with all this control. I want to decide which island the ship is going to, but I’m totally open to whatever pivots I have to take to get there, because there is no sailing race in history that has ever been a straight line. A and B”.
– Danny Meyer
“Even if you get the best tomatoes, it’s best not to throw them in the back of the fridge and bruise them to lose the sugar. Treat them the right way. Well, guess what? The same applies to people. You can have the best recipe in the world for how you hire people, but you better pick the best tomatoes. You better treat them right if you want the best sauce.”
– Danny Meyer
“For the first 10 years of my career, I was almost exclusively focused on motivating problem employees to be better, like weeds. I learned that our employees are like sunflowers. They will turn wherever the sun shines. If I spend all my attention on the weeds, I’m actually pulling gravity that way. My grandmother’s lesson was right. If I water the flowers and spend more time with people who I may have thought of as odd jobs because they do a great job, they actually pull out the weeds and the weeds take care of themselves. »
– Danny Meyer
“The world keeps moving, and if you don’t keep moving with it, you certainly won’t.”
– Danny Meyer
“Can’t we please have a charitable guess about each other?”
– Danny Meyer
“There is a difference between hope and optimism. I think that hope is an active action.”
– Danny Meyer
“ABCD. Always collect dots so you can always connect dots.”
– Danny Meyer
PEOPLE MARKED
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