Danny Meyer

“A great restaurant doesn't distinguish itself by how few mistakes it makes but by how well they handle those mistakes.”

“I opened Union Square Cafe when I was just 27 years old, and my first hope was simply that it would stay in business. My higher hope was that in its lifetime, it might grow to play an essential role in the lives of its stakeholders.”

“The only thing I hate is when bad food is paraded as something great, and people are charging a lot for it.”

“I trust that McDonald's can find a way to sell all-natural chicken without raising their prices; we did that at Shake Shack. It is more expensive, and we took a slight margin hit, but we did it. And if we can do it, I know that much bigger companies can.”

“The cooking standards for Italian food are less demanding than for French. All you need are some fried mozzarella and five pastas, and you're in business.”

“Every restaurant needs to have a point of view.”

“I couldn't sit in a chair in an office all day.”

“Long before Starbucks popularized the phrase 'the third place' - somewhere to interact outside of work and home - it was neighborhood restaurants that helped to define places like Union Square.”

“At my restaurants, we have training drills before every meal. We talk about what we did yesterday that was great and what we can improve today.”

“When the economy goes sour, there are three different kinds of restaurants that do well: the smaller-scale neighborhood restaurants that don't ask much of you; those that have banked enormous goodwill by offering great value during the boom; and those with proven records of excellence, a sure thing.”

“London has become one of the great world destinations for someone who likes food.”

“I don't think there's going to be sustainable demand for restaurants that force you to spend hours there.”

“I never get sick on airplanes, which is incredible. You're basically in a flying petri dish.”

“Essentially what's going to determine how you succeed in New York is how people feel about the space, how delicious the food is, how they perceive the value and, most important of all, how they feel treated. My understanding is Stephen Starr is exceptionally good at all of this and his ability to create a transporting experience.”

“I've been in love with Washington ever since renting my very first apartment there many years ago while working as a Senate intern.”

“My dad gave me the gene to enjoy cooking, and to enjoy consuming good food and wine.”

“Steak and its accompaniments - wine, vegetables, potatoes and generous desserts - is a primal source of pleasure to which many people can relate.”

“People who have come to appreciate well-sourced and well-cooked food refuse to pay too much for food that they wouldn't want to pay anything for.”

“My favorite place is whichever sidewalk is beneath my feet because I am just constantly fascinated by walking and looking and learning. If I've already walked a street five times, then the next five times I walk it looking up, and I learn something about the cornices.”

“A delicious meal cooked by a colleague for many others nourishes not only the body but also the soul.”