What Could Possibly Go Right? The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture

One of the most successful American restaurateurs of the last five decades explains how he has learned to share a passion for excellence within an ever-growing organization.

A successor to his 2006 Setting the Table, in which Danny Meyer explained the remarkable perspective on service which had allowed him to succeed with restaurants like Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and the Shake Shack chain, What Could Possibly Go Right is written from a different perspective. Meyer no longer fears failure, recognizes that it will inevitably happen in any thriving business, and that trying to prevent it completely stifles the creativity and best impulses of the best teams.

Meyer is forthright about many points at which his vision of himself and what his company could and should be crashed into undeniable realties: simply opening Gramercy Tavern after Union Square's success disrupted his hands on approach to hiring all front-of-house staff and greeting nearly every diner. Scaling far beyond a second restaurant has required him to be clear-headed about hiring, about training, and about communicating in ways that allows each of those qualities to compound the others.

What Could Possibly Go Right is an accessibly written book, largely free of corporate catch phrases and illuminated by real life examples of successes and failures. Meyer offers action outlines and checklists for thinking about change, understanding customer and employee motivations, and gaining perspective on what initiatives offer and what they risk. 

While we expect most of our sales to be to restaurant and hospitality pros who admire Meyer's example, this book's lessons are easily applicable to nearly any business looking to grow.

Hardcover.