New York City’s Burger King Tells All

Danny Meyer, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, stopped by Big Think’s offices the other week to chat about the restaurant business in New York City. After more than 20 years on the job, Meyer has yet to close a restaurant. What are the secrets to his success? He describes the process of building a brand, and how a restaurant that has existed for 11 years (Meyers’ own 11 Madison Square Park) can still get bumped up to four stars by the New York Times.

Meyer doesn’t only dabble in fancy restaurants; he’s also the king of the burger establishment Shake Shack, which recently expanded from its Madison Square Park location to the new Mets’ stadium Citifield. Have you ever wondered where the idea for Shake Shack came from? Meyer tells all.

He also delves into food television and what it’s doing to our society (for better or worse), and clears up a popular restaurant rumor: is it really a bad idea to order sushi on Fridays? Plus, what keeps Danny Meyer up at night.