Becoming the greatest restaurateur

If you’ve eaten out in New York City the past couple of decades, chances are a restaurateur named Danny Meyer has had an impact on how your meal went.

As founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer has grown his empire to include some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants and cafes, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern and Blue Smoke. Together, Danny Meyer’s restaurants and team have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards – the food industry’s highest honor.

Becoming the greatest restaurateur

It’s notoriously difficult to succeed in the restaurant business – yet Danny has done it again and again. In this episode, he shares with Tony how he’s managed to scale his business, which includes Shake Shack, the fast-casual restaurant he founded in 2001. With Danny at the helm, what started as a single hot dog cart in Madison Square Garden is now a publicly traded company with half a billion dollars in annual revenue, approaching 300 locations and 6,000 employees.

But it’s not just great food that makes Danny the greatest restaurateur. It’s what people experience and feel when they’re eating at his restaurants. In fact, Danny Meyer’s story is a remarkable testament to the sheer power of hospitality.

Building a culture of hospitality

Hospitality is something that can make or break any business, regardless of industry – and it’s not just how you treat your customers or clients. According to Danny, hospitality begins with how you treat your employees – unconventional wisdom considering the “put the client first” mentality that most businesses, understandably, adopt. Yet it makes sense: Employees who look forward to coming to work are going to be happier, friendlier and provide better service, which will help your business create the raving fan customers it needs to thrive.

How do you create that culture? First, you must know your company’s values and exemplify them. Only then can you hold others accountable to them. Regularly take the temperature of how things are feeling around your business. Take care of your culture, encourage the behaviors you want and clean up those that you don’t want. Most of all, you must be a great leader.

Danny says that “A great leader first and foremost has to express what success looks like.” They shine a light on others’ successes. They make it OK to make mistakes. He says, “I will put up with any mistake that does not lack integrity.” Because he knows that mistakes are often a sign of progress.