Enlightened Hospitality Investments is the growth fund founded by restaurateur Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group, Shake Shack), investing minority stakes in hospitality and food brands it wants to help scale. Its style is hands-on operational support with founders staying in charge.
3 companies on Ferret
Joe Coffee Company
Coffee · 24+ locations — Joe Coffee is New York's hometown roaster, founder-run since 2003 and grown to 24 cafés. Danny Meyer's hospitality fund holds a minority stake, and Joe commits to buying at least 80% of its beans from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms.
Dig Inn
Dining · 37+ locations — Dig Inn owns a 20-acre farm in New York's Black Dirt region and buys from 102 farm partners. Ownership is a different story: $132M in venture backing, Danny Meyer's fund among the investors, and a founder who stepped back to executive chairman in 2023.
Salt & Straw
Dining · 58+ locations — Private equity firm KarpReilly and Danny Meyer's growth-equity fund have backed this small-batch ice cream chain since 2017, with Dwayne Johnson joining in 2019. Co-founders Kim and Tyler Malek still run it, and are now exploring a sale reported at more than $200 million.
Firm data last updated August 2026