I grew up in a reform Jewish family in St. Louis. Our idea of Judaism was no bar mitzvahs and a Christmas tree that had a skirt at the bottom embroidered with the names of my grandparents.

The only thing I hate is when bad food is paraded as something great, and people are charging a lot for it.

Ninety-five percent of all brussels sprouts come from California.

I throw 14 parties a week.

I don't get to cook in my own restaurant.

People use restaurants to do business, to do politics, to socialize.

I've been in love with Washington ever since renting my very first apartment there many years ago while working as a Senate intern.

The great thing about capitalism is that it's a system that works.

I run in London, in San Francisco - any city that's got a waterfront or park.

A delicious meal cooked by a colleague for many others nourishes not only the body but also the soul.

It's always imperative to improve and to remain dynamic - or you'll become lunch, as opposed to serving it.

One of the things that may get lost among all the hubbub when a company is 'going public' is that the business can now be owned, in part, by its greatest fans.

My dad gave me the gene to enjoy cooking, and to enjoy consuming good food and wine.

I just think the best way for me to be greedy is long-term greedy.

In order to encourage the cattle farmers to raise a herd of all-natural cattle, which is a several-year process, they have to know that it's not just Shake Shack that wants to buy it. They have to have other buyers who are willing to pay more for all natural.

Some people are near- or farsighted - I'm thorn-sighted. The thorns on the rose are in really sharp definition for me, the rose petals a little fuzzier.

A great restaurant doesn't distinguish itself by how few mistakes it makes but by how well they handle those mistakes.

My staff's job is to adjust to circumstances with technical precision and artful grace so that every patron has a wonderful experience.

It's the job of any business owner to be clear about the company's nonnegotiable core values. They're the riverbanks that help guide us as we refine and improve on performance and excellence. A lack of riverbanks creates estuaries and cloudy waters that are confusing to navigate. I want a crystal-clear, swiftly flowing stream.

You can't let challenges argue you out of doing what you know is the right thing.

My favorite place is whichever sidewalk is beneath my feet because I am just constantly fascinated by walking and looking and learning. If I've already walked a street five times, then the next five times I walk it looking up, and I learn something about the cornices.

Museums are like sports stadiums, hotels and hospitals: they are in the category of captive-audience dining.

I adore going to a very, very fancy restaurant - as long as the spirit is genuine, like it's their pleasure to welcome you.

A restaurant is a compendium of choices that the owner has made. If you look around a restaurant, everything represents a choice: the kind of salt shaker that's on the table, the art on the walls, the uniforms on the waiters.