You know Union Square Hospitality Group CEO Danny Meyer best for his frozen custards and ShackBurgers, but his first job in NYC was actually shaking down shoplifters.
We're on the ground at ICSC NY at the Hilton and snapped the man behind such destinations as Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, and Gramercy Tavern, flanked by Urstadt Biddle Properties' James Aries and Massey Knakal's Ben Fox. He once worked for retail security firm Checkpoint Systems, where he apprehended a man who hid meat under his hat, only to be betrayed by blood dripping down his face, Danny told a crowd yesterday. His advice to retailers: Keep enough on the menu to keep people coming back. Thanks to the Internet, anything you do can be copied within two seconds (thanks, Instagram). The more high-tech the world, the more "high touch" is needed to succeed, he says.
