About Paul Buck

Experienced Hospitality COO - Interim & Fractional COO Leadership

Through BUCK Hospitality, Paul Buck provides Interim and Fractional COO leadership, consulting and advisory services to CEOs, owners and boards navigating growth, transformation, turnarounds, leadership transitions and complex operations.

Paul has spent his career leading hospitality businesses and organizations where operational excellence, financial performance, strong leadership and exceptional guest experiences all matter. His experience spans restaurants, private clubs, cultural institutions, catering and events, corporate dining, sports and entertainment venues, and multi-unit operations.

His senior leadership roles have included Patina Restaurant Group, Union Square Hospitality Group, the Harvard Club of New York City, Restaurant Associates and M&T Bank.

Approach

Plan with Purpose. Lead with Direction.

Paul begins by understanding the business, its people and the objective. He works with key leaders responsible for delivering the plan so they understand its purpose, contribute their knowledge and take ownership of their role.

From there, he establishes a clear operating rhythm — staying engaged, asking questions, measuring progress, creating accountability and providing direction as circumstances change.

Working between owners, CEOs and boards and the leaders responsible for running the business, Paul provides regular qualitative and quantitative updates, addresses concerns and keeps leadership aligned around the objectives and results.

Values

Integrity - Excellence - Continuous Improvement - Teamwork - Accountability - Authentic Hospitality

These values have guided Paul throughout his career and are the foundation of every BUCK Hospitality engagement. They shape how he leads, how decisions are made, how people work together, and how results are achieved.

Meet Paul Buck

Paul Buck is an experienced hospitality Chief Operating Officer whose career has been defined by leading complex organizations, building strong teams and stepping into situations where experienced operating leadership can make a meaningful difference.

His career began with Restaurant Associates, with early leadership opportunities at the Ford Foundation, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. He later became General Manager of the Harvard Club of New York City, leading a significant operational and financial turnaround and building an organization and leadership team that continued to prosper after his departure.

Paul subsequently spent nearly a decade as a Senior Vice President of M&T Bank, working closely with Chairman and CEO Robert Wilmers during a period of substantial growth and organizational change. The experience broadened his perspective beyond hospitality and reinforced principles that remain central to his leadership: integrity, attracting talented people, thoughtful risk-taking, patience and supporting people so they can succeed.

Returning to hospitality, Paul held senior operating roles with Restaurant Associates before joining Union Square Hospitality Group as Director of Operations and later being promoted to Managing Partner of The Modern at MoMA. Working within Danny Meyer's culture of Enlightened Hospitality and alongside Executive Chef Gabriel Kreuther and GM Dino Lavorini, Paul helped lead an operation recognized with a Michelin star, three-star reviews from The New York Times and multiple James Beard Awards.

Paul later returned to Patina Restaurant Group as Executive Vice President and COO, West Coast, working with founder Joachim Splichal and leading approximately 40 operating units. That experience reinforced the importance of disciplined operations, exceptional guest experiences, culinary and visual excellence, brand stewardship and financial performance.

Since founding BUCK Hospitality in 2016, Paul has worked with owners and leadership teams across restaurants, hotels, clubs, cultural institutions, catering and events, and multi-unit businesses—helping organizations navigate growth, transition, operational challenges and change.

Throughout his career, Paul has been fortunate to learn from accomplished leaders with very different approaches to business. Those experiences helped shape a leadership philosophy centered on integrity, excellence, strong people, clear purpose and accountability—and on building organizations capable of succeeding beyond any one individual.

Today, Paul brings that experience to organizations that need seasoned executive leadership in a COO capacity—whether for an interim period, on a fractional basis, or during a particularly consequential chapter in the life of the business.

Let’s Talk

If your organization is facing growth, transformation, a leadership transition, operational challenges or increasing complexity, experienced COO leadership can make a material difference.

Through BUCK Hospitality, Paul works with CEOs, owners and boards who need experienced executive operating leadership—whether for an interim period, on a fractional basis, or through a focused consulting or advisory engagement.

If that describes where your organization is today, let’s have a confidential conversation.

Contact BUCK Hospitality

📧 paul@buckhc.com