Danny Meyer
Encyclopedia
Daniel "Danny" Meyer is a New York City
restaurateur and the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG).
.
Meyer lives in New York City
with his wife, Audrey, and their four children: Hallie, Charles, Gretchen, and Peyton.
, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park
, 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 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 Award
s
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
restaurateur and the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG).
Personal life
Meyer was born and raised in St. Louis, where he attended St. Louis Country Day School. Meyer worked for his father as a tour guide in Rome during college, and then returned to Rome to study international politics. After graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1980 with a degree in Political Science, Meyer worked in Chicago as Cook County Field Director for John Anderson's 1980 independent presidential campaign. Meyer later gained his first restaurant experience in 1984 as an assistant manager at Pesca, an Italian seafood restaurant in the Flatiron District of New York City. He then returned to Europe to study cooking as a culinary stagiaire in both Italy and Bordeaux. In 1985, at 27, he began his career as a restaurateur by opening Union Square CafeUnion Square Cafe
Union Square Café is an award-winning restaurant in New York City, owned by Danny Meyer, with chef Michael Romano. Opened in October 1985 by Danny Meyer and chef Ali Barker, it features American cuisine with Italian influences...
.
Meyer lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his wife, Audrey, and their four children: Hallie, Charles, Gretchen, and Peyton.
Career
Meyer’s restaurants and other businesses include: Union Square CafeUnion Square Cafe
Union Square Café is an award-winning restaurant in New York City, owned by Danny Meyer, with chef Michael Romano. Opened in October 1985 by Danny Meyer and chef Ali Barker, it features American cuisine with Italian influences...
, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park
Eleven Madison Park
Eleven Madison Park is a restaurant in New York City ranked #24 in the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2011. Its head chef is Daniel Humm, from Switzerland...
, Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, Shake Shack
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is a restaurant chain serving hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, milkshakes and similar foods. There are currently eleven restaurants within the chain, six in New York City. There are two more locations opening soon: one in Grand Central Terminal, and one in Downtown Brooklyn.The...
, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 at MoMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
, 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
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is a restaurant chain serving hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, milkshakes and similar foods. There are currently eleven restaurants within the chain, six in New York City. There are two more locations opening soon: one in Grand Central Terminal, and one in Downtown Brooklyn.The...
, Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria, and Box Frites) at major sports facilities, such as the Mets Citi Field, Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
, 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
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 1994) with his 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
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 2001). Meyer also authored the New York Times bestseller Setting the Table (HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 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 Award
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...
s
Awards
- 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City
- 2010 Cooper Union Urban Citizenship Award
- 2005 James Beard FoundationJames Beard FoundationThe James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
Restaurateur of the Year Award - 2005 Readers Digest Best Restaurateur
- 1999 Bon AppetitBon AppétitBon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...
Best Restaurateur in America - 1999 New York Magazine New Yorkers of 1999
- 1996 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award
Publications
- Setting the Table : The Power of Hospitality in Restaurants, Business, and Life
- The Union Square Café Cookbook
- Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe
- Mix Shake Stir