Career
In 1985, Meyer opened his first restaurant: Union Square Cafe. In order to make it successful, Danny Meyer tried to focus on its customer satisfaction. Currently, Meyer’s restaurants and other businesses include: Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, Shake Shack, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 at MoMA, Maialino, Untitled at the Whitney Museum, Union Square Events, and Hospitality Quotient. Union Square Events, USHG's catering division, also operates several concessions (Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria, and Box Frites) at major sports facilities, such as the Mets Citi Field, Saratoga Race Course, and Washington Nationals Park.
In late 2011, USHG will open North End Grill and a second location of Blue Smoke, both in Battery Park City.
Four of USHG’s restaurants have earned three stars from The New York Times and Eleven Madison Park was upgraded to four stars in 2009. Three of the five “Most Popular” restaurants in the 2011 New York Zagat Survey are part of USHG, including Union Square Cafe, which has held the #1 spot nine times. Eleven Madison Park holds three Michelin Stars, while The Modern and Gramercy Tavern each hold one Michelin Star and Eleven Madison Park was designated Grand Chef Relais & Chateaux in 2008 and named one of S. Pellegrino’s “50 Best Restaurants” in 2010 and 2011.
USHG also founded and continues to organize the annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in NYC, which takes place in Madison Square Park and features regionally diverse barbecue from visiting pitmasters. The event benefits the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
Meyer co-authored The Union Square Cafe Cookbook (HarperCollins, 1994) with his business partner, Chef Michael Romano. The book earned the IACP Julia Child Award for the best new cookbook by a first-time author, and was followed up with the highly acclaimed Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe (HarperCollins, 2001). Meyer also authored the New York Times bestseller Setting the Table (HarperCollins, 2006), which examines the power of hospitality in restaurants, business, and life. In May 2009, Meyer's restaurants released a cocktail cookbook, Mix Shake Stir (Little, Brown) featuring 140 recipes, along with tips, anecdotes and photography.
Meyer has served on the boards of Share Our Strength and City Harvest. In addition, he served as Co-Chair of the Union Square Partnership for 5 years and as an executive committee member for NYC & Co and the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
Meyer and USHG have won 24 James Beard Foundation Awards
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