Enlightened Hospitality: The Transforming Power of Putting People First
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm New York City, New York
The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism will present its annual Stephen W. Brener Distinguished Lecturer Series in Hospitality Management with featured guest Danny Meyer, the chief executive officer of Union Square Hospitality Group and the founder of Shake Shack, on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The event, titled “Enlightened Hospitality: The Transforming Power of Putting People First,” will be moderated by food journalism pioneer Ariane Batterberry, who together with her husband, Michael, founded two influential magazines, Food & Wine and Food Arts. The evening’s discussion will focus on Meyer’s vision on “enlightened hospitality,” the belief that putting employees first is the key to running a meaningful and sustainable business.
Since opening his first restaurant in 1985, Meyer has developed some of New York City’s most beloved and celebrated restaurants. His unique and innovative management style has gained as much praise as his culinary achievements. His Union Square Hospitality Group encompasses Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, The Modern, Maialino, Untitled, North End Grill, Marta, Porchlight, Union Square Events, and Hospitality Quotient, a consulting business. Meyer, his restaurants, and chefs have earned an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, and in 2015, he was named to TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” His first business book,Setting the Table (HarperCollins, 2006), a New York Times bestseller, examines the power of hospitality in restaurants, business, and life. An active national leader in the fight against hunger, Meyer serves on the board of Share Our Strength, and has long supported hunger relief initiatives including City Harvest, God’s Love We Deliver, and the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger.
The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the NYU Kimmel Center for University Life, 60 Washington Square South (between LaGuardia Place & Thompson Street), Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, fourth floor.
Doors open at 6 p.m. A reception will follow the event from 8 – 8:30 p.m.
To register for the event, visit bit.ly/BrenerLecture.
The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism established the Stephen W. Brener Distinguished Lecturer Series in 1994. Instituted in response to Brener’s desire to provide a forum for industry leaders and students to meet and communicate, the Series focuses on the changes in the social, political, and financial environments that affect the hospitality and tourism industry. Previous prominent speakers and panelists have included: Glyn F. Aeppel, president and chief executive officer, Glencove Capital; Brooke Denihan Barrett, chief executive officer, Denihan Hospitality; Anne R. Lloyd-Jones, managing director of the New York office, HVS; Karen E. Rubin, senior vice president of global development policy and feasibility, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Jason Pomeranc, co-founder, Thompson Hotels, LLC; and Jonathan M. Tisch, co-chairman of the Board and Office of the President, Loews Corporation, and chairman and chief executive officer, Loews Hotels & Resorts.
Considered a pioneer in the hospitality industry, Stephen W. Brener