Shake Shack founder shares the green flags he looks for in new hires: ‘I really don’t give a damn what your IQ is’
- Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer has high standards for new hires: Even if they are highly capable, a lack of hospitality skills like integrity and work ethic can still cost them the job.
As the founder of the now 510-location-strong Shake Shack, Danny Meyer has helped hire thousands of the best burger flippers and milkshake creators. However, he scrutinizes talent much more intently than you may expect.
Even if someone appears highly capable, they may not be cut out for the job at one of Meyer's restaurants if they lack what Meyer calls “hospitality quotient,” or HQ.
“I really don’t give a damn what your IQ is,” Meyer told Fortune’s Jason Del Rey at the Qualtrics X4 Summit.
“What an IQ basically says is one’s aptitude for learning. What HQ is, is the degree to which someone is happier themselves when they provide happiness for someone else.”
The top 6 emotional skills that will get you hired, according to Meyer
Meyer, who has spent 40 years in the restaurant business and currently serves as executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, added there are six green flags that he looks for above all else:
- Integrity
- Optimism
- Intellectual curiosity
- Work ethic
- Empathy
- Self-awareness
Having these skills will not only help an employee stand out in the hiring process but also equip them to climb the ladder even faster with a “learn-it-all” attitude, he said.
While Meyer’s list of skills may seem like an obvious goal of any aspiring business leader, the restaurant industry has long struggled to find and retain top talent. Plus, Gen Z isn’t making it any easier as questions around their work ethic remain.
They would do well to remember that attitude is often more important than skills. Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy has gone so far as to say attitude can be the true make-or-break in business—and contribute an “embarrassing” amount to one’s success, especially early in your career.
“I think people would be surprised how infrequently people have great attitudes,” he said. “I think it makes a big difference,” Jassy said in an interview with LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky.
Other hospitality business leaders have also shared similar sentiments that surface-level skills won’t always cut it. Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of McDonald’s, wrote last year that while characteristics like expertise, experience, and professionalism are important, demonstrating company values and culture—especially in difficult situations—may be even greater.
“I want to see real examples of a leader living our values: serve, inclusion, integrity, community, and family,” he said.
Hospitality skills may even outweigh a college degree
Meyer is so serious about the importance of hospitality skills in any successful business that he has said that on-the-job passion is even more important than a candidate’s college degree.
Last year, Meyer said that graduates should consider tuning out their college major in favor of what they actually want to do.
“You learned a lot; there’s no question about that, and nobody can ever take that away from you. But there may be something else inside of you that really wants to express itself,” he said.
The 67-year-old knows this works because he did it himself. After graduating from Trinity College with a degree in political science, he nearly went to law school. Instead, he listened to his gut and learned to become “his own boss”—and grew Shake Shack from a temporary hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in Manhattan into the $3.8 billion chain it is today.
“As you make big choices, while it may be tempting to do the thing others expect you to do, I challenge you to listen carefully to your gut, to follow your passion and heart, and to pursue what you really love,” he said.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com