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The last time Danny Meyer shared his Grub Street Diet with us, it was 2008 and the world was a very different place. The iPhone was less than a year old. Barack Obama hadn’t yet been elected president. And there was only one Shake Shack. Now, of course, Meyer’s Madison Square Park burger stand has spawned 700-plus locations around the world; his other chain, Daily Provisions, continues to expand; and his 2008 book about “the transforming power of hospitality in business,” Setting the Table, is canon among the C-suite set. He’s followed it up with What Could Possibly Go Right?, which applies the lessons he’s learned — and, yes, setbacks he’s suffered — over the last 20 years of explosive growth. “Restaurants are the laboratory for what I write about, and they are very relatable to a lot of people because everyone has either worked in one or eaten in one,” he says. “They’re not the only organizations that have employees and customers and suppliers and investors — somehow you’ve got to make all of those coalesce in an uplifting way, no matter what business you’re in.”

Tuesday, September 8
I almost always wake up at 6:45 or 7 a.m. I get to the office by 7:55 and make myself a cup of tea with honey made by bees from our home in Connecticut. I used to start every day with two tall cups of drip coffee, and I got to a point about three years ago where I said you don’t need to start your day with all that coffee. And then I realized I need caffeine. I found tea was a gentler way to do that. My longtime partner from Union Square Cafe, Michael Romano, starts every morning of his life, forever, with hot tea and oatmeal. I went in one day to Union Square Cafe and asked Michael where we kept the tea. He said, “Tea? You don’t drink tea.” And I said, “But I’m getting a cold.” And he said, “Did you ever stop to think that maybe you wouldn’t get the cold if you just drank tea in the first place?”

At 8 a.m. I jump on a prep call for my upcoming appearance at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit. Lunch is in my office, and we bring in Cava, as my meeting is with the chain’s chairman, Ron Shaich, who has become a friend. My go-to is a salad with supergreens, half falafel and chicken, tomato/cucumber, “crazy feta,” hummus, harissa, and green vinaigrette. I eat exactly two Hubs peanuts between meetings.

Dinner is in Ci Siamo’s private dining room, where there’s a surprise 60th-birthday party for a good friend. It’s a gorgeous evening, and while awaiting the birthday girl’s arrival, we begin on the outdoor terrace with spiced potato chips and almonds.

Then it’s on to some of chef Hillary Sterling’s greatest hits: focaccia with tomato conserva, tuna tonnato, platters of salumi, cavatelli allo scoglio with crab, orecchiette with pork ragu, wood-grilled bistecca alla Fiorentina, crispy potatoes with whipped Pecorino, and braised shell beans. I call it a night after a few bites of chocolate sorbet.

Wednesday, September 9
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, I head straight to the gym for a workout with my trainer, Andre. I never eat anything before those sessions, but on my walk to the office from the gym, I stop by Daily Provisions on 19th Street to pick up some breakfast for a meeting. Last night’s dinner made me swear off my favorite cinnamon crullers, so at least for today, it’s yogurt, strawberries, and pecan granola for my guests and me.

I have no time for lunch today, as my day is packed with unusual plans: a clock winding at Bogardus Plaza, a planning session for my upcoming book party, and a prep call for a talk I’ll be giving at Manhatta for retail influencer CEOs. In the afternoon, I take a walk to the East Village to meet my friend Marco Canora at Hearth and Brodo. Marco began his career at Gramercy Tavern, and we’ve known each other for nearly 30 years. He has invited me to create a custom brodo flavor that will be available in a few weeks. I suggest we try cacio e pepe. Marco nails it, and I down the most satisfying cup.

From Brodo, I head up to the Modern to check in with our team as they prepare for two big events: one for Fashion Week and the other for the U.S. Open. Whenever I’m in one of our restaurants, it’s 95 percent spending time with our team and 5 percent with our guests. I love doing it, but every one of our restaurants would be absolutely fine if I were in Timbuktu tomorrow. I will say I spend a lot less time going table to table. In fact, a year ago, when Union Square Cafe turned 40, we had a big event in the restaurant and I spoke to every single table. I realized I had not done that for many years, and that’s all I used to do.

Next stop, Gramercy Tavern, where I’m able to say hello to Victoria Espinel and John Stubbs, who are in town from New Orleans to bring a taste of their restaurant and bar, Jewel of the South, to Gramercy. Chef Mike Anthony and the team are running some fun NOLA-inspired specials for the evening, and while standing at the Tavern grill, I taste a mini heirloom-tomato tart with Cajun spices as well as an ethereal crab étouffée.

I head home, but not before grabbing a roast chicken dinner. Yes, I realize this makes for two Daily Provisions stops in one day. We should have named it Twice Daily Provisions.

Thursday, September 10
I’m giving a talk at the Economic Club of New York during lunch today, which marks the beginning of an incredibly busy fall schedule promoting my new book. It’s the first time guests will have received early copies — another surreal moment. I spend an hour in conversation with my friend and Bloomberg journalist David Westin, before signing books, while everyone else is eating what looks like a good lunch. After almost everyone has departed, I manage to try a few bites of a very good roasted chicken with green beans before heading back downtown.

On the walk to the subway, on 54th Street, I spot a relic of old New York, Myzel’s Chocolate. After initially walking by, we circle back and are rewarded with hundreds of different flavors of licorice, truffles, chocolate bark, and more. We order some dark-chocolate-covered peanut-butter cups and pretzels, both excellent, and continue on our way to the subway.

Later that evening, I’m even further downtown, at Manhatta, our restaurant at the very top of 28 Liberty Street, for my second talk of the day. I never eat before speaking, and so afterward, I’m really hungry. I make a spontaneous decision to head over to Wu’s Wonton King. There’s only two of us, but we make the most of it: wonton soup, scallion chicken, shrimp with walnuts and broccoli, seafood noodles, and shrimp fried rice. As usual, the restaurant is full of industry folks, one of whom kindly stops by our table to splash us with some Champagne. It’s one of those great New York nights.

Friday, September 11
I head to the office following my workout, and this morning I down two cups of my usual English Breakfast tea. Yesterday was a long one, and I need the caffeine. 

For lunch, it’s Santo Taco, which opened on University Place near our offices a few months ago. It’s become a fast favorite for our home-office team members. My assistant, Jenny, tells me she’s heading over there, so I ask her to pick me up two tacos: one mushroom with crispy onions and also a steak trompo. I happily eat them at my desk.

My office used to be in the basement of Gramercy Tavern, and my lunch every day came from a really good delicatessen on Park Avenue South. My sandwich was called the Big Guy. I’m laughing now because this sandwich was turkey, bologna, avocados, alfalfa sprouts, and mayonnaise on rye bread. Oh, and a big bag of potato chips to go with it.

Now I’m running late for my appointment to have a full-body scan. It takes just one hour from start to finish, and so I’m lucky enough to be able to get out to the U.S. Open in time to take in two men’s semifinal matches.

Trying to stay somewhat healthy, I make a dinner out of shrimp cocktail and then succumb to putting away one chicken nugget, sans caviar, from Coqodaq. I also try the Moët Serve, which comes in a clear cylindrical canister and has the effect of cracking open a new can of tennis balls: clever! The Open is one of my absolute favorite sporting events of the year. We head home from Queens happy to have seen great matches.

Saturday, September 12 
My wife, Audrey, and I meet two out-of-town friends who are staying downtown for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. That’s early for us on a Saturday, but our friends need to catch a flight and we’re happy to do it. Turns out that not many places serve brunch quite so early, and we meet at Corner Bar at the Nine Orchard Hotel, which opens bright and early. I order a cappuccino and then their breakfast sandwich: smoky bacon, eggs, and gobs of cheddar on a brioche bun, served with frisée salad. It hits the spot, and we walk up Orchard Street on our way home.

Lunch is homemade chicken salad, made from our leftover roast chicken, and served with some supersweet cantaloupe Audrey has brought home from the Greenmarket. This evening, we’re at the Modern for an exquisite dinner party we are fortunate to host annually in celebration of the U.S. Open.

We enjoy some remarkable canapés from chef Tom Allen: caviar soldiers, heirloom tomato soup with Parmesan foam, hiramasa crudo in rice crackers, carrot arancini, and Wagyu beef tartare on potato chips. For dinner, I begin with a seared sea scallop with gnocchi, cauliflower, and Champagne beurre blanc, and follow it with a duo of Wagyu sirloin and short rib. For dessert, a remarkable mango Creamsicle tart.