Eleven Madison Park Owners Will Guidara and Daniel Humm End Partnership

Two of the hospitality industry's most powerful players have decided to end their empire-building partnership, marking the end of an era for the New York City restaurant world. Chef Daniel Humm and his business partner, Will Guidara, told the New York Times that they are currently in the process of ending their thirteen-year business relationship, roughly eight years after they bought Eleven Madison Park from their mentor, Danny Meyer, in 2011. With Humm helming the kitchen and Guidara managing the restaurant, the glamorous Manhattan dining room became one of the most revered in the world, repeatedly earning World's 50 Best Restaurant nods and spawning their company, Make It Nice, which includes NoMad locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

According to Times reporter Kim Severson, Humm is buying out Guidara's share of the business. While the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, Guidara confirmed he plans to open his own restaurant group.

"It's been an incredible run and I think we both learned a lot from each other, but we also have evolved in different ways," Humm said in the joint Times interview with Guidara. "We're extremely proud. We just came to the conclusion in the end that what would be best for the company is if I continue to run it and Will was gone."

According to the report, Guidara and Humm described their split as amicable. The chef will continue working on Davies and Brook, which will open in the Claridge's hotel in London this fall, as Guidara embarks on new projects. Most recently, Guidara has continued growing the Welcome Conference, an annual forum for hospitality industry professionals that he founded in 2014 with Anthony Rudolf.

In 2017, F&W's Jordana Rothman went to Coney Island with Guidara and Humm, shortly before their empire expanded to the West Coast.

"What we have to focus on now is bigger than the restaurants," Guidara said at the time. "What we want to build is a really good company, a really good place to work." The pair have written four books together, including I Love New York, an ode to regional ingredients and local classics.