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Danny Meyer made his name opening up a string of successful upscale restaurants in Manhattan. First came Union Square Cafe in 1985 when he was just 27. That was followed by Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park. These restaurants made him famous, but it was a hot dog stand he opened in 2001 to raise funds for a public park that led to Shake Shack, Meyer’s super successful twist on hamburgers and frozen custards. Now with 585 locations and $1.3 billion in revenue, Shake Shack is a fast food giant Meyer is the latest restaurant billionaire.

Forbes estimates the 67-year old St Louis native’s net worth is at least $1 billion, thanks mainly to Shake Shack’s soaring stock price. The chain’s shares are trading near record highs, up 73% over the past year, due to strong financial performance and an aggressive expansion strategy. Meyer, who did not respond to a request for comment on Forbes’ estimates, owns around 3.5 million shares, currently worth about half a billion dollars. He’s got hundreds of millions more from selling down his stake in Shake Shack over the past decade. He also still owns his collection of restaurants under Union Square Hospitality Group, in addition to a wide investment portfolio filled with winners like Goldbelly and coffee chain Joe.

Meyer joins a growing list of American billionaires who made their fortunes in fast food, including Jersey Mike’s Peter Cancro, Panda Express’ Andrew and Peggy Cherng, and, recently,

© Forbes