HY HOSPITALITY LAB Inc.

What HY HOSPITALITY LAB Inc. does

Hospitality Lab, doing business as "Hospitality Lab by Union Square Events," is the concept development and consulting arm of Union Square Events, which itself sits within Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Founded in 2005 by restaurateur Danny Meyer, the firm operates from a single headquarters at 147 41st Street, 4th Floor, in Industry City, Brooklyn, NY. It delivers end-to-end hospitality consulting through seven interconnected service modules: Discovery & Programming (3-4 week market due diligence), Concept Development & Design (brand narrative and spatial design across SD/DD/CD/CA phases), Culinary Development (menu engineering and sourcing strategy), Operations (SOPs, COGS, labor models), Business Analytics (data-driven guest and market insights), Financial Modeling (pro-forma, pre-opening budgets, labor scheduling), and Owner's Representation (lease negotiation and design-phase F&B advisory). Its target clients are enterprise hospitality operators, hotel and resort chains, cultural institutions, luxury brands, and developers seeking new concept creation or refinement of existing venues.

Service delivery is underpinned by a state-of-the-art R&D kitchen for culinary innovation and menu engineering, a client tasting room for experiential feedback, and a proprietary business analytics platform that leverages guest-traffic insights from the broader USHG ecosystem (described as 10M+ daily guests across the parent group's venues). The senior team is multidisciplinary and recruited from blue-chip hospitality and finance employers, including veterans of Marriott International (Erik Palmer, 20 years), Hilton (David Hirsch), Altamarea Group (Hirsch, with Michelin-starred chef Michael White), Auberge Resorts, Eataly, and PwC (Melissa Patel). Current leadership is President Anthony Mastellone, appointed in 2020, with Vice President of Culinary Operations Nickolas Martinez appointed to the Lexus Culinary Masters program the same year.

Hospitality Lab generates revenue through customized, project-based professional-services engagements sold on a consultative, inquiry-driven basis via its website ("Let's Connect" form) and direct phone contact. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and each engagement is scoped to client needs across one or more of the seven service modules. Named enterprise clients include Intersect by Lexus (luxury automotive, ongoing since Martinez's 2018 Executive Chef appointment), Hyatt (hotel F&B programming), The Frick Collection and The Shed (cultural institutions), AMC Theatres (entertainment), the Obama Presidential Center (nonprofit/presidential), Manhatta & Bay Room at 28 Liberty Street (restaurant/event venue), and Moss (private club). The firm operates regionally from Brooklyn with no disclosed revenue, headcount, funding rounds, or geographic expansion evidence.

Name

HY HOSPITALITY LAB Inc.

Website

https://hospitalitylabconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hospitality Lab, the concept development and consulting arm of Union Square Events within USHG, delivers end-to-end hospitality consulting—discovery, design, culinary, operations, analytics, financial modeling, and owner's representation—to enterprise clients across hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, and luxury brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Intelligence, Reporting & Data Platforms (THALACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hotel & Resort Banqueting / In-House Catering (THAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Hospitality consulting
• Concept development
• Restaurant advisory
• Culinary development
• Food beverage programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hospitality Consulting Services: End-to-end concept development and consulting services for hospitality brands, including discovery and programming, concept development and design, culinary development, operations, business analytics, financial modeling, and owner's representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HY HOSPITALITY LAB Inc. is a hospitality consulting firm that partners with operators, hotel groups, developers, and institutions to create, launch, and run food, beverage, and hospitality concepts. Its offering spans discovery and strategy, concept and brand development, food and beverage programming, interior and operational design, culinary development in an in-house R&D kitchen, pre-opening and ongoing operations support, business analytics, financial modeling, and owner's representation through opening and beyond.

Product overview

Hospitality Lab is a full-service concept development and consulting business under Union Square Events, offering end-to-end hospitality consulting services. The company provides a modular suite of seven interconnected consulting services: Discovery & Programming (market due diligence), Concept Development & Design (brand narrative and spatial design), Culinary Development (menu engineering), Operations (SOPs and execution), Business Analytics (data-driven insights), Financial Modeling (pro-forma and projections), and Owner's Representation (F&B advisory). These services work collaboratively from initial concept through operational execution, guided by the principles of Enlightened Hospitality founded by Danny Meyer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discovery & Strategy Front-end consulting engagement that frames the business problem, audience, brand positioning, and strategic opportunity for a new or existing hospitality concept, serving as the foundation for downstream concept, design, and operations work.
• Concept Development
• Food & Beverage Programming
• Design
• Culinary Development
• Operations
• Business Analytics & Financial Modeling
• Owner's Representation

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Union Square EventscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Hospitality Lab is the concept development and consulting business based out of Union Square Events. Founded in 2005 by Danny Meyer as part of Union Square Hospitality Group, USE offers large-scale event services, foodservice solutions for public and private institutions, and concept development consulting through Hospitality Lab.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Patina Restaurant Group: Patina Restaurant Group operates and develops high-end restaurants, F&B concepts, and catering at cultural institutions and venues. Comparable to Hospitality Lab for its chef-driven concept development, premium venue clients, and integration of restaurant consulting and operations.
• Restaurant Associates: Restaurant Associates is a high-end contract foodservice and hospitality consulting firm serving cultural institutions, corporate dining, and premium venues. Directly comparable to Hospitality Lab in its mix of F&B consulting, concept development, and bespoke hospitality programming for enterprise clients.
• Legends Hospitality: Legends Hospitality provides hospitality planning, F&B consulting, and venue operations across sports, entertainment, and cultural destinations. Comparable to Hospitality Lab for its end-to-end concept-to-operations model and high-profile enterprise client base.
• Centerplate: Centerplate is a hospitality and F&B provider for sports, entertainment, and convention venues, offering concept development and culinary consulting. Comparable to Hospitality Lab for its focus on premium venue hospitality and enterprise F&B programming engagements.
• Levy Restaurants: Levy Restaurants is a hospitality and F&B company specializing in sports, entertainment, cultural, and convention venue dining, including concept development and culinary programming. Comparable to Hospitality Lab for its emphasis on bespoke concept creation, premium venue clients, and culinary-led hospitality experiences.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo: Sodexo is a multinational food services and integrated facility management company with substantial hospitality consulting and F&B programming offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same end markets as Hospitality Lab, including cultural, corporate, and venue dining.
• Aramark: Aramark is a global food services and facilities management giant with significant hospitality and venue consulting capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping F&B consulting and operations services to hotels, stadiums, cultural institutions, and corporate clients.
• Compass Group / Chartwells: Compass Group is the world's largest contract foodservice provider, with hospitality-focused subsidiaries offering F&B consulting, venue dining, and concept development. Comparable as a broad incumbent in adjacent F&B services and consulting markets.
• Bon Appétit Management Company: Bon Appétit Management Company is a high-end onsite restaurant and F&B management firm serving corporate, cultural, and higher-education clients. Comparable to Hospitality Lab for its chef-led concept development and bespoke hospitality programming for premium institutional clients.
• Delaware North: Delaware North is a global hospitality and food service company with sports, entertainment, parks, and gaming venues, plus concept development capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same cultural, entertainment, and venue customers as Hospitality Lab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HY HOSPITALITY LAB Inc.