Last week, celebrated New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer participated in a public program at the 9/11 Memorial Museum as part of the “New York Stories” program series.
In conversation with Cliff Chanin, executive vice president and deputy director for museum programs, Meyer talked about his memories of September 11, 2001, and the day’s impact on the city.
Meyer, whose past and present portfolio includes classic New York City eateries such as Union Square Café, Eleven Madison Park, and Gramercy Tavern as well as the Shake Shack empire, remembers the now late New York Met Rusty Staub finding refuge in Union Square Café on 9/11.
“[Staub] was one of the hundreds and hundreds of people who just trekked uptown – and Union Square Café was the place he wanted to go,” said Meyer. “So he was one of the people who sought comfort there. We had people coming there who had planned to have lunch together and we saw a reunion, where people thought the other one had died because they had come from downtown.”