Danny Meyer Quotes
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During one of his uncannily well-timed impromptu visits to my restaurant, Union Square Cafe, Pat Cetta taught me how to manage people. Pat was the owner of a storied New York City steakhouse called Sparks, and by that time, he was an old pro at running a fine restaurant.
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I just think the best way for me to be greedy is long-term greedy.
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Life is a series of waves to be embraced and overcome.
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Hospitality exists when you believe that the other person is on your side.
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Diners are upset that restaurants aren't honoring reservations, and a lot of restaurants help bring this on by overbooking.
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I couldn't sit in a chair in an office all day.
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Use your time well. Everyone gets time equally. It doesn't matter how much money you make.
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The part of capitalism that doesn't work for me is when capitalists make decisions in the way that Adam Smith suggested, which is that as long as you do everything in the interest of the investor, you're going to actually make the best decisions for all other stakeholders. I don't happen to agree with that.
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I feel like not knowing Joe Torre is a hole in my New York experience.
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A restaurant is a compendium of choices that the owner has made. If you look around a restaurant, everything represents a choice: the kind of salt shaker that's on the table, the art on the walls, the uniforms on the waiters.
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Steak and its accompaniments - wine, vegetables, potatoes and generous desserts - is a primal source of pleasure to which many people can relate.
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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.
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Union Square Cafe is all soul, not brain.
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There are a zillion variables to a hamburger. What part of the animal went into it. What coarseness. What temperature.
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Restaurants are like kids. You hope you understand their innate gifts, and then you let them realize their aspirations.
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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.
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Human nature doesn't change. When enough people are comfortable enough financially, there is going to be human nature that wants to spend more money on better quality and, to some degree, status symbols as well.
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In one respect, it's easier to open a restaurant in New York because you get more media attention than anywhere else. Almost everyone will try a new place once, irrespective of the reviews, because it's a spectator sport.
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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.
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My staff's job is to adjust to circumstances with technical precision and artful grace so that every patron has a wonderful experience.
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Good service means never having to ask for anything.
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London has become one of the great world destinations for someone who likes food.
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Wearing a baseball cap or sleeveless shirt in a white-tablecloth restaurant is rude and makes other diners upset, just like someone on a cellphone.
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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.