🎙️ From McDonald's Griddle to Nobu: The Rise of Drew Nieporent

In this episode, Drew Nieporent, founder of Myriad Restaurant Group, traces a path from a McDonald's grill at 17 to co-founding Nobu with Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa. He walks through opening Montrachet with a $16 menu that earned three stars, building six restaurants on one Tribeca block, and facing a stroke, kidney cancer, and leukemia within the same year.

✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:

• Started at McDonald's at 17 as the quarter-pound grill man

• Opened Montrachet in 1985, three stars on a sixteen dollar menu

• Recruited by Robert De Niro to open Tribeca Grill

• Nobu turned him down twice before saying yes

• Nobu is now worth roughly $300 million

• First restaurateur to put a chef's name on the menu

• Ran the Madison Square Garden burger concession for 12 years

• Wrote the memoir "I'm Not Trying to Be Difficult"

• Survived a stroke, kidney cancer, and is now battling leukemia

• Three restaurants at one Tribeca address held three stars for decades

🌟 Drew's Key Mentors:

• Robert De Niro: Recruited him for Tribeca Grill and backed Nobu from day one

• Warner LeRoy: Employer at Maxwell's Plum and Tavern on the Green, modeled scale and spectacle

• George Lang: Fellow restaurateur who pushed him toward treatment at the Mayo Clinic

• His Father: State Liquor Authority official who exposed him to New York's best restaurants as a child

• Nobu Matsuhisa: Creative partner in building one of the industry's most recognized brands

👉 A candid look at four decades of restaurants, and what it means to keep showing up while your health keeps testing you.

🔗 Connect with Drew Nieporent:

Instagram: Drew Nieporent

📄 Transcript Available: Forty Restaurants, One Neighborhood, and a Life Drew Nieporent Has No Regrets About

📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast

🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast

📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line

Website: addbackbenefits.com