Today, Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) is excited to announce the appointment of Rachel Kornafel as SVP, Marketing, effective August 5, 2024.
Rachel will lead marketing efforts across USHG’s full-service restaurants, Daily Provisions and its growing collection of neighborhood kitchens, as well as USHG’s Hospitality Advisory Group, Hospitality Quotient. As an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team, Rachel will oversee USHG’s marketing, advertising, and public relations initiatives, playing a vital role in the company’s growth through her creative influence and strategic vantage point.
After 15 years at some of the world’s top advertising agencies including Droga5 and 72andSunny in NYC and BBH in Singapore, Rachel decided to follow her passion for restaurant culture, accepting a role as VP, Marketing at Boqueria, a Spanish Tapas concept, in December 2019. During her tenure there, Rachel helped reinvent the chain’s off-site dining business, enabling the company to stay afloat during the hardest months of the pandemic. Later, she led the brand expansion into new markets; these experiences will benefit USHG as the company explores opportunities outside of NYC.
“The appointment of Rachel significantly strengthens our Senior Leadership Team,” shares USHG CEO Chip Wade. “Rachel’s guest-centric mindset and marketing prowess in brand storytelling and data-driven digital strategy are essential as we continue to burnish all guest touchpoints, drive engagement and increase revenue growth.”
Born in New York City and a graduate of NYU, Rachel has deep roots in the city and is thrilled to be joining NYC’s most iconic restaurant group. “This is an exciting time to join USHG,” says Kornafel, noting that three of the company’s restaurants will celebrate important anniversaries in 2025, Union Square Cafe (40), The Modern (20) and Porchlight (10). She also explains that the company’s culture and approach to driving growth was a significant draw. “In the midst of consistently changing culture, Danny Meyer and the team at USHG have developed a way of doing business that will never go out of style. Enlightened Hospitality puts people at the center, and the business results follow.”
“At USHG, we pride ourselves on hiring 51 percenters where we prioritize emotional skills above technical,” says USHG Founder and Executive Chairman Danny Meyer. “Rachel is a great example of someone with exceptional levels of both. She has a natural ability to lead graciously with a constant drive for success — the ideal combination we needed for this position. With Rachel leading our marketing efforts, we are well positioned to continue driving Union Square Hospitality Group’s growth.”
About Union Square Hospitality Group
Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) has created some of New York’s most beloved restaurants, cafes, and bars, which offer outstanding food delivered with its signature warmth and hospitality. Founded by Danny Meyer with the opening of Union Square Cafe in 1985, and later, other restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and Daily Provisions, the company extends its innovative approach to hospitality beyond the walls of its eateries. USHG offers operational and hospitality consulting via Hospitality Quotient and its digital learning platform HQ+ and created a growth fund called Enlightened Hospitality Investments. USHG also founded Shake Shack, now a separate public company (NYSE: SHAK). USHG has long supported its communities through hunger relief and civic organizations. USHG holds an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards and has earned numerous accolades for its distinctive style of hospitality.
