STARR Restaurants: Stephen Starr. How a Non-Foodie Built Thriving Restaurants on Gut Instinct cover art

STARR Restaurants: Stephen Starr. How a Non-Foodie Built Thriving Restaurants on Gut Instinct

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

STARR Restaurants: Stephen Starr. How a Non-Foodie Built Thriving Restaurants on Gut Instinct

By: Guy Raz | Wondery
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

View show details
Stephen Starr didn’t plan to get into the restaurant business.He set out to be a radio DJ. Then a nightclub owner. Then a music promoter.Along the way, he booked a young Jerry Seinfeld for $75, promoted shows for U2 and Madonna, and spent years pretending to be more successful than he really was.Then, in his late 30s, Stephen walked into a glitzy martini bar in New York.He was so taken with it, he decided to start his own version in Philadelphia.Today, Starr Restaurant Group generates nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue and includes some of the most successful independent restaurants in America: Pastis, Buddakan, Le Diplomate, Parc, Makoto, and dozens more.The surprising part?Stephen did not start out as a foodie.Instead, he became obsessed with the theatre of dining: design, upholstery, lighting, music. A “wow!” feeling when you walk in the door.In this conversation with Guy, Stephen talks about the hard lessons he learned in the comedy and music business, and the unexpected path he took to redefining dining.What You'll Learn:The unglamorous economics of rock concerts and restaurantsHow rejection, romantic heartbreak, and failure can become powerful motivatorsWhy he believes he's spent his career "throwing the party" without attending itHow building the right team of designers can make a restaurant feel magicalWhy Stephen says today's entrepreneurs have a much harder path than his generation didThe model Stephen says new restaurateurs should follow todayTimestamps:00:03:38 — A lonely childhood: Making up skits in his room00:07:24 — Losing his mother at age 1900:08:52 — Starting a comedy club: Deli by day. Stand up at night00:18:24 — Going broke and reneging on a bank loan00:26:01 — Music promotion: Feeling like a fraud while promoting U2, Madonna00:34:27 — A New York martini bar inspires Stephen to start his own00:37:40 — The bold design behind a line-out-the-door restaurant00:57:21 — Opening Buddakan in New York: “I can’t do anything better. This is Sgt. Pepper”01:02:58 — Starting a restaurant today: “I would say don’t do it … but if you do, keep it smaller”This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research by Sam Paulson. Our audio engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez.Follow How I Built This:Instagram → @howibuiltthisX → @HowIBuiltThisFacebook → How I Built ThisFollow Guy Raz:Instagram → @guy.razYoutube → guy_razX → @guyrazSubstack → guyraz.substack.comWebsite → guyraz.com©2026 Guy Raz | Wondery (P)2026 Guy Raz | Wondery Economics
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet