Speaker: Dan Leyva ’14, Chief Wing Officer – Wings Over
Wings Over
Dan Leyva was born and raised near San Francisco, CA. In 2010, Dan moved to Ithaca to attend the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.
While at Cornell, Dan worked at the Statler Hotel. He started as a bellman and worked his way up to the Director of Guest Services via HLDP. In 2014, Dan graduated from The Hotel School with a minor in Real Estate and a concentration in Development.
During his time in college, Dan studied abroad and held multiple internships. He spent a semester during his junior year aboard Semester at Sea studying and visiting 13 different countries. In addition to traveling the world, Dan interned at Loews Hotels, Starwood Hotels, and HVS Consulting.
Dan has called NYC home for the last 7 years. Over those past 7 years, Dan has helped the launch and expansion of multiple brands, including Tacombi, Ithaca Hummus, MealPal, and SALIDO.
Dan initially got involved with Wings Over as a guest at the Ithaca location in 2010. In late 2016, Dan and his friends obtained the opportunity to re-open that Ithaca location, their favorite college restaurant. In March 2017, they re-opened Wings Over Ithaca to outpouring love and support.
Later that same year, Dan and his friends acquired Wings Over, and has served as the Chief Wing Officer since.
Under Dan’s direction, the company has gone through a full revitalization of the brand. They’ve re-imagined everything every part of the Wings Over experience, from the values, to the logo, colors, uniforms, menus, designs, technology platforms, and much more.
Wings Over, now with over 40 restaurants, is once again growing and thriving with new locations throughout the country.
Outside of work, Dan loves traveling, great music, and the best tacos! In addition, Dan actively works to create mentorship and growth opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow.