Self Awareness While Selling Burgers

Danny Meyer wanted his own restaurant.

Ever since he was a boy, he’d been obsessed with food.

But restaurants are horrible businesses. The National Restaurant Association estimates about 60% of restaurants fail in their first year of operation, and 80% fail within 5 years of opening.

The culprits are plentiful. Loads of competition, razer thin margins, and the harsh truth that good chefs aren’t necessarily good business people.

But, Danny Meyer was self-aware. He knew that he wasn’t a world-class chef. But, he could be a great “restaurant generalist”.

He could speak the language of the kitchen to lead his chefs. He could market his restaurants in thoughtful strategic ways. He could create experiences for his customers that led to rabid word of mouth.

His self-awareness and deep love of the food industry propelled him to extreme success.

His first restaurant Union Square Cafe has received the #1 spot on Zagat’s ‘Most Popular in New York City' nine times.

Danny’s restaurants Eleven Madison Park, The Modern, Gramercy Tavern, and GreenRiver all hold Michelin Stars.

His burger chain has a $2.3 billion market cap (and goes by Shake Shack).

Start with self-awareness if you want to be an outlier.

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