What Danny Meyer has said about Hiring and hospitality quotient

3 quotes · 1 episode · Sep 27, 2026

Danny Meyer, American restaurateur, founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack, has been quoted on Hiring and hospitality quotient 3 times in 1 episode of The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk, most recently on September 27, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

Meyer explains his hiring recipe weights technical skills at 49% and character, measured as hospitality quotient, at 51%.
“49% of what I'm looking for is how well I think this person can do the job we will be paying them to do”
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 24:24
Meyer says he tests self-awareness by asking candidates about the greatest misperception others have of them rather than asking directly.
“I would never ask somebody, by the way, are you self-aware? Because they'll say, yes, of course I am”
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 27:20
Meyer says his own high HQ can be a liability when interviewing because his job is to assess rather than make the candidate feel good.
“when I'm interviewing, it shouldn't be my job to make you feel better”
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 26:32