A biography for Danny Meyerhasn’t been written yet.
“You cannot open a major New York restaurant today and not be aware that showbiz will play a role.”
“When push comes to shove, baseball is one of my favorite things in the world.”
“Shake Shack started off as a summer hot dog cart in Madison Square Park. It was not meant to be a company - it was completely accidental. It started off as an expression of community building.”
“Earlier in my career, I needed to be the writer, casting director, set designer, leading man, and producer. I've been eliminating a lot of those jobs. I'm an executive producer right now. I still get to pick the best screenplays.”
“I feel like not knowing Joe Torre is a hole in my New York experience.”
“My history has been to grow the roots as deeply as you can before going on to the next thing. That's why it took 10 years to go from Union Square Cafe to Gramercy Tavern, and another 10 years to go from Blue Smoke's first location to its second, and five to go from Shake Shack 1 to Shake Shack 2.”
“Ninety-five percent of all brussels sprouts come from California.”
“Some people are near- or farsighted - I'm thorn-sighted. The thorns on the rose are in really sharp definition for me, the rose petals a little fuzzier.”
“Sometimes, early in their careers, chefs make the mistake of adding one too many things to a plate to get attention. If a chef is just coming up with wiz-bang gimmicks on their plate, that has nothing to do with bringing real pleasure to people.”
“Restaurants with small courses that give the customer choices, and that don't obligate them to spend a fortune, are going to do very well.”
“When chefs like Wolfgang Puck became household names, that became a compelling reason for an intelligent young person to go into the cooking profession. There have been no waiters who have turned into household names. The service and hospitality aspects have clearly lagged behind the kitchen.”
“How can you franchise hospitality?”
“Hospitality exists when you believe that the other person is on your side.”
“I gasp for air if I don't get to breathe Italian air once a year.”
“It is sad that the more 'successful' a neighborhood becomes, the more it gradually takes on a recognizable, common look, as the same banks, drugstore chains and national brands move in.”
“Hospitality knows no gender or race.”
“A cocktail done right can really show your guests that you care.”
“In order to encourage the cattle farmers to raise a herd of all-natural cattle, which is a several-year process, they have to know that it's not just Shake Shack that wants to buy it. They have to have other buyers who are willing to pay more for all natural.”
“If somebody doesn't want to cook at home or has more family members than they have room for, then it's great to be in a city that's got restaurants that are actually busy on the holidays.”
“There are three things that people pick up on the instant they walk into your home on Thanksgiving. They will be able to feel the human energy. They'll smell the food. And they will see, instantly, the table.”