The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

#115 Danny Meyer: Hospitality and Humanity

Jul 13, 2021

Danny Meyer, celebrated restaurateur and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, shares insights on the power of hospitality in every workplace. He emphasizes how delivering genuine hospitality can transform interactions. Meyer highlights the significance of hiring the right people and the tough decisions involved when letting them go. He discusses cultivating a winning culture centered on empathy and connection, and the balance of structure and flexibility in growing successful restaurants. Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, he shares transformative lessons from failures.

58:54

Episode guests

Danny Meyer

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Balancing consistency and customization

01:21

Fostering Emotional Skills for Team Success

00:52

The Six Emotional Skills We Hire for Our Culture

01:12

Let the Space Speak

01:01

Intro

2min

Crafting Culinary Passion

8min

The Virtuous Cycle of Hospitality and Success

5min

Cultivating a Winning Culture

20min

Balancing Structure and Flexibility in Restaurant Growth

8min

Transformative Lessons from Failures

13min

Reflections on Mistakes and Integrity

2min

Celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer discusses the intersection between hospitality and humanity, and why we are all in the hospitality business regardless of where we work. Meyer defines hospitality and how to deliver it with every interaction, how we can scale a feeling, hiring great people and when to let them go, and so much more.

Meyer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Union Square Hospitality Group, which comprises some of New York's most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and Maialino. In 2004 Meyer and USHG founded the wildly popular Shake Shack, a New York fast-casual restaurant chain that has since grown to more than 250 locations around the world.

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