Advice Line with Danny Meyer of Shake Shack

This episode of How I Built This features Danny Meyer, founder of the Union Square Hospitality Group, who shares insights into his journey of building successful restaurants like Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, and Gramercy Tavern. Meyer explains the concept of culture in businesses, emphasizing the importance of specific expected behaviors over vague family values. He highlights that a successful culture is built on the behaviors celebrated and the unwanted behaviors tolerated within an organization.

Meyer also discusses the significance of hospitality in business, stating that customers can sense the energy and engagement of staff, which greatly influences their experience. He introduces the concept of a 'day one mentality,' which encourages teams to treat every day as the first day of operations to maintain high standards.

Throughout the episode, Guy Raz facilitates calls from various entrepreneurs seeking advice on their brands, such as Pony Boy Slings, a bourbon-based cocktail company, and Angel Oak Smokehouse, a premium salmon smokehouse. Meyer offers tailored advice to each business, stressing the importance of community, branding, and targeted market expansion. In particular, he discusses strategies for introducing new products into food services and leveraging existing retail successes.

The episode concludes with a reflection on the nature of hospitality, invoking a sense of hope and resilience in the face of challenges in entrepreneurship, and Meyer’s longstanding perspective that solving problems is at the core of business success.