Danny Meyer on Short List for WTC Observation Deck

Back in May, news broke that several companies had placed bids for the observation deck at 1 World Trade Center, including legendary restaurateur/all around nice guy Danny Meyer. Now the Times learns that the list has been narrowed down to just three potential operators, including Danny "The Man" Meyer, who is bidding in partnership with a Canadian company by the name of GSM Projects. The other two companies are Legends Hospitality, which runs the food program at Yankee Stadium and other sports venues, and Montparnasse 56 USA, a French group that operates observation decks around the world. Montparnasse would team up with the Gerber Group and chef Marc Murphy for the WTC observation deck.

The Port Authority doesn't want a fine dining-style restaurant like Windows on the World, but there will be some kind of food option in the observatory, as well as private event rooms. When the WTC opens in 2014, the observation deck will take over floors 100 through 102. The space is expected to bring in $100 million in revenue a year.

So, Danny Meyer is clearly the best many for the job here, and the Port Authority should just give it to him. He doesn't even have to put a Shake Shack up there. It could be a brand new concept. Or even an old one — Tabla was a great restaurant that never worked in that space. Maybe it would have more luck at the top of the WTC?
· 3 Bidders Left to Run World Trade Center Observatory [City Room]
· All Coverage of Danny Meyer [~ENY~]