Meredith Mandel

Director of Operations

Meredith's career in hospitality began as a young dancer in New York City. She first dipped her dancer’s toes into the restaurant world coat-checking at a supper club as she earned her BFA at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. While performing, choreographing, teaching modern dance, and gigging with her musician father, Meredith worked as a singing waitress for 13 years at Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse, and it was here that she fell in love with the industry. She began to understand the fundamental overlapping at the core of both performance and hospitality: anticipating the dynamics of a room, energy-sharing, inclusivity, and generosity of spirit. Her passion for dance was soon equaled by the joy of making people happy with food, and she transitioned from the theater stage to the restaurant floor. Meredith left NYC for a several years to open a burgeoning Southern franchise, then returned to the city to begin her own baking company, Meredith’s Kitchen. She joined Hearth in 2015 as a host, enjoyed a stint in the pastry kitchen, served as Service Director for 2 years, and became Director of Operations in 2018.