Food

How celebrated chef David Burke keeps ideas and energy flowing after decades in the business

His 2021 saw three new restaurants, a project in Saudi Arabia, a prestigious entrepreneurial award and the launch of a Wagyu beef operation. Here’s what’s next.

David Burke, the groundbreaking chef and restaurateur who helped pave the way for elevated American restaurant cuisine, is on a roll—despite an ongoing pandemic and several decades in the business.

In the last year alone, he opened three new restaurants, expanded internationally into Saudi Arabia, partnered with Kentucky ranchers to start a Wagyu beef operation and received the 2021 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for New Jersey. “Resting is not for me,” says Burke, who contends that he still has some kick left.

 

 David Burke
David Burke

Listen as this Energizer bunny of a chef talks about the unique signatures he’s created over the years, today’s must-have menu items, how he’s incorporating golf into his newest restaurant and his plans for a fast casual in 2022.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe on Spotify

Also, we are now on Alexa. Log into your Amazon account, look for “Menu Feed podcast” to enable the skill. Once it’s enabled all you need to do to listen is say, “Alexa, play ‘Menu Feed.’”

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Leadership

Meet the restaurant fixer who now owns Etta

Tech entrepreneur Johann Moonesinghe suddenly finds himself leading a growing group of restaurants. His secret? He doesn't expect to make a profit.

Financing

Looking for the next Chipotle? These 3 chains are already there

The Bottom Line: Wingstop, Raising Cane’s and Jersey Mike’s have broken free from the pack of well-established growth chains. Here’s why this trio stands out.

Financing

For Starbucks, 2 years of change hasn't yielded promised results

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop giant’s sales struggles worsened earlier this year, despite a flurry of efforts to improve operations and employee satisfaction.

Trending

More from our partners