Episode
STARR Restaurants: Stephen Starr. How a Non-Foodie Built Thriving Restaurants on Gut Instinct
How I Built This with Guy Raz · Jun 15, 2026 · 1 h 18 min
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…