AI Summary
5 min readAdvice Line with Danny Meyer of Shake Shack
Danny Meyer stepped up to become executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group in 2022, a move many misinterpreted as retirement. For Meyer, the title meant something different: "It gave me the chance to continue to come into work every day, but to spend more of my time on fewer of the things, but those things that uniquely lined up with my gifts"—specifically culture, culinary product, and new business development. On this episode of the Advice Line, Meyer fielded calls from three early-stage food and beverage founders and revealed how his thinking about culture, hospitality, and scaling has evolved over four decades in the restaurant business.
Culture as Expected Behaviors, Not Family Values
Meyer's most significant cultural shift came when he stopped calling his company's values "family values." The problem, he explained, was that "a business is not a family" and "you don't fire a family member." When the company held people accountable to the point of letting them go, employees went into "deep grief" because the family metaphor broke down at precisely the moment it needed to hold.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:47) **Opening & Danny's Update** - Guy Raz introduces the Advice Line format and legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer
- 2 (03:08) **Culture: From Family Values to Expected Behaviors** - Meyer reframes company culture as a deliberate system of wanted and unwanted behaviors
- 3 (05:18) **How to Spot Real Hospitality** - A quick test for whether a business genuinely has a hospitality culture
- 4 (07:57) **Caller 1: Janelle Bass – Pony Boy Slings** - A bourbon-based canned cocktail brand from Louisville, Kentucky
- 5 (11:04) **Advice: Make the Can Your Bartender** - Meyer and Raz help Janelle extend her hospitality beyond live events
- 6 (16:17) **Break / Advertisements**
- 7 (18:48) **Caller 2: Jade Taylor – Angel Oak Smoke House** - A premium smoked salmon company in Charleston, now in 42 Whole Foods and expanding
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Today’s callers: Janell from Kentucky wonders how to build a sense of hospitality into her canned bourbon cocktail brand. Jade from South Carolina considers the upsides and risks of shipping her smoked salmon directly to customers. And Bar from Colorado considers strategies for bringing his protein-packed cous cous to quick service restaurants.
Plus Danny talks about the elements of a strong company culture as described in his new book, What Could Possibly Go Right?
Thank you to the founders of Ponyboy Slings, Angel Oak Smokehouse, and Boostcous for being a part of our show.
If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.
And be sure to listen to Shake Shack’s founding story as told by Danny on the show in 2020.
This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.
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