Make It Nice is a New York–based hospitality/restaurant group best known as the parent company of Eleven Madison Park, NoMad and the fast‑casual Made Nice concepts, founded and led by chef Daniel Humm (with longtime partner Will Guidara during its growth phase).[2][5][4]
High‑Level Overview
- Concise summary: Make It Nice is a restaurant and hospitality group that builds restaurants across the spectrum from fine dining to fast casual, anchored by Eleven Madison Park (a multiple‑award winning tasting‑menu restaurant) and extended through concepts such as NoMad and Made Nice.[2][5][4]
- For a hospitality firm: Mission — to create exceptional food and service experiences across formats and to evolve hospitality while emphasizing quality, sustainability and community impact (through ventures such as Rethink Food, co‑founded by Daniel Humm).[5]
- Investment/operating philosophy — expand vertically across dining formats (fine dining, neighborhood restaurant, fast casual) while continuously reinventing concepts and reinvesting in experience and staff training.[6]
- Key sectors — fine dining, hotel‑restaurant concepts (NoMad), and fast‑casual dining (Made Nice).[2][4]
- Impact on the startup/ecosystem — as a high‑profile restaurateur group, Make It Nice has influenced trends in experiential dining, pushed sustainability and food‑equity initiatives in the industry, and popularized translating fine‑dining techniques into more accessible formats.[5][6]
Origin Story
- Founding year & founders: The core team behind Make It Nice coalesced around Daniel Humm and Will Guidara after they acquired Eleven Madison Park in 2011 (Humm had been EMP’s executive chef prior to the purchase); the Make It Nice group later expanded to include NoMad, Made Nice and other projects.[5][4]
- How the idea emerged: Humm and Guidara built on their success at Eleven Madison Park to create a hospitality platform that could deliver refined food and service across different price points and formats, from ultra‑refined tasting menus to everyday fast casual offerings.[6][4]
- Early traction/pivotal moments: Eleven Madison Park’s rise — including a No.1 ranking on the 2017 World’s Best Restaurants list — and expansion into NoMad and Made Nice signaled the group’s rapid recognition and influence in the restaurant world.[5][4]
Core Differentiators
- Brand breadth: Operates across the full dining spectrum — world‑class fine dining (Eleven Madison Park), acclaimed hotel restaurants (NoMad), and accessible fast casual (Made Nice).[2][4]
- Culinary pedigree: Led by Daniel Humm, a chef with Michelin stars and international acclaim, which lends credibility and attracts talent and media attention.[5]
- Hospitality philosophy: Emphasis on evolving guest experience and “the nobility of service,” with continual reinvestment and reinvention of concepts rather than letting them stagnate.[6]
- Social impact orientation: Engagement in food‑equity and sustainability initiatives (e.g., Humm’s involvement with Rethink Food) that align operations with broader social goals.[5]
- Operational scale and network: Multiple locations (including hotel partnerships and international openings such as Davies & Brook in London) that create cross‑brand opportunities.[3][5]
Role in the Broader Tech/Food Landscape
- Trends they ride: Democratization of haute cuisine techniques into scalable formats (fine dining → fast casual), sustainability and food‑justice movements, and experiential dining as a cultural draw.[4][5][6]
- Why timing matters: Consumers increasingly value both elevated food experiences and everyday convenience; Make It Nice’s multi‑format approach captures demand across that spectrum.[6]
- Market forces in their favor: Continued interest in culinary tourism, growth of premium casual dining, and hospitality brands leveraging media and social platforms to build followings.[4][6]
- Influence: Their successful translation of high‑end culinary standards into more accessible concepts has encouraged other chef‑led groups to diversify formats and pursue mission‑driven initiatives.
Quick Take & Future Outlook
- What’s next: Strategic expansion and concept refinement under Daniel Humm’s leadership — reports indicate Humm took full control of the group and planned further openings (including Davies & Brook in London and potential new NYC projects).[3][5]
- Shaping trends: Expect continued emphasis on sustainability, scaling acclaimed culinary techniques into approachable formats, and integrating hospitality with purpose‑driven programs (e.g., food equity).
- How influence may evolve: As Make It Nice focuses openings and partnerships worldwide, its model (award‑winning culinary leadership + multi‑format rollout + social initiatives) could be further copied by chef‑led groups and hospitality investors, reinforcing the premium‑to‑everyday pipeline in dining.[3][5][6]
Quick note on scope: There is another small consumer‑goods business called Make Nice Company (a Vancouver firm selling plastic‑free solid dish soap) that is unrelated to Daniel Humm’s Make It Nice hospitality group; do you want a profile of that company instead?[1]
