Twenty years after Setting the Table, restaurateur Danny Meyer has written a new book about the experience of growing Union Square Hospitality Group.

In What Could Possibly Go Right?, he reflects on the years when the philosophy of hospitality that shaped his early restaurants had to become something a much larger organization could understand and put into practice. The book follows the success of Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, and Shake Shack, but it is also an account of the lessons that came with growth.

In this episode of Grey Matter, Danny joins Consello Founder, Chairman and CEO Declan Kelly to discuss the challenge of maintaining that standard as a business expands, along with the leadership decisions that have shaped his career.

In this episode, Danny addresses:
•Turning hospitality instincts into a culture that can scale
•Identifying people with high HQ and teaching teams to “read signs”
•His 49/51 formula for performance and hospitality
•How a Madison Square Park hot dog cart became Shake Shack
•Why he gave up the CEO title

About Consello

Consello is an Advisory and Investing Platform with offices in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Dublin, Belfast, London, Brussels and Abu Dhabi.

Consello’s distinct advisory practices provide the complete strategic counsel today’s leaders need to grow and transform their organizations. Consello’s advisory expertise spans Corporate Advisory; M&A; Management Consulting; Talent; and Sports and Entertainment. Dedicated teams operate in each practice, led by a leadership group with deep operational experience across industries, business growth stages and market cycles and with an expansive set of global corporate relationships.

Consello’s investment business, Consello Capital, identifies high-potential mid-market companies and invests capital and expertise to transform their growth.

About Grey Matter Host Declan Kelly

Declan Kelly is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Consello, one of the world's most influential boutique advisory firms. A trusted advisor to dozens of CEOs leading the world's top companies, Mr. Kelly has built or run four global consulting companies over the last three decades prior to founding Consello. Mr. Kelly also served in government as US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland during the Obama administration.

Danny Meyer: How Do You Scale Excellence? | Grey Matter with Declan Kelly

Grey Matter with Declan Kelly: Inside the Minds of the People Who Move the World

Danny Meyer: How Do You Scale Excellence? | Grey Matter with Declan Kelly