STARR Restaurants: Stephen Starr. How a Non-Foodie Built Thriving Restaurants on Gut Instinct
How I Built This with Guy Raz
- Published
- June 22, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 14m
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 23, 2026
Discusses Stephen Starr didn’t plan to get into the restaurant business.He set out to be a radio DJ. Then a ni…
Summary
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 …
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Show notes
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 it, he decided to start his own version in Philadelphia.Today, Starr Restaurant Group generates nearly hal