Why Is Danny Meyer, the Happy Face of Hospitality, Serving Up Regrets?

For the man most likely to win a contest for New York’s Cheeriest Multimillionaire, few things kill the mood faster than spilled ketchup.

You’d think Danny Meyer would have other things to fuss over. In the course of 41 years, he has done more than any other restaurateur to shape American hospitality.

He created New York fine-dining landmarks like Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern and the Modern. He powered up the careers of the chefs Tom Colicchio and Daniel Humm. He turned a Manhattan hot-dog stand into a public company that now sells more than $1.45 billion worth of Shake Shack burgers a year in 703 restaurants spread across more than 20 countries.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/dining/danny-meyer-hospitality-book.html