“The first time I heard the name Danny Meyer was from my mom. She was a New York native and avid diner who had just come from her first meal at The Modern, his fine-dining restaurant that had recently opened in the Museum of Modern Art. She had been sitting at the bar when Meyer, the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group, paused long enough to make eye contact. She recognized him, but before she realized who he was, the flutter of familiarity prompted her to blurt out an inappropriately familiar hello. He said hello right back. My mom described this as the kind of warm but politely vague hello someone gives a person who they know they should know, but can't bring themselves to register a name. My mom was so struck by how warmly he, one of the most legendarily successful restaurateurs of our time, treated her.”