The duo behind Eleven Madison Park, Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, are splitting up after eight years at the acclaimed restaurant.
“It’s been an incredible run and I think we both learned a lot from each other, but we also have evolved in different ways,” Humm told the New York Times this week. “We’re extremely proud. We just came to the conclusion in the end that what would be best for the company is if I continue to run it.”
Humm, with help from an investor, will buy Guidara's shares of the restaurant group, and Guidara, with the money from the sale, will start his own group. Details of what Guidara's new venture will look like are still mum.
Danny Meyer, who owned the French-inspired eatery, first lured Humm from San Francisco to New York City in 1998. Humm met Guidara there, after Guidara had been promoted to manager. But the restaurant wouldn't gain acclaim until Humm and Guidara purchased the restaurant from Meyer, and crafted its elaborate $335 per person tasting menu.
At its height, Eleven Madison Park managed to nab the top spot on the "World's 50 Best" list in 2017, propelling the restaurant to international fame.
Together Humm and Guidara opened six more restaurants after Eleven Madison Park, including the Nomad, the Nomad Bar and Made Nice in New York. On the West Coast, the two also have the Nomad in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. All of the restaurants owned by the duo's Make It Nice hospitality group will be retained by Humm.
Photography by: Photography by Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com
