On a rainy March morning, 25 folding chairs were set out on the floor of Meadow Lane, a gourmet market in Lower Manhattan that is normally brimming with influencers, Tribeca moms and finance bros picking up lunch. Today the place belonged to McKinsey & Company.

The consultants are the ones who had requested the meeting. They wanted to know just how Meadow Lane had become such a thriving business in such a short time. They shook out their umbrellas and found their seats among the artisanal crackers, sea-moss beverages and carefully arranged jars of honey.

Sammy Nussdorf, the store’s 29-year-old owner, watched them settle in. Then he began to talk.

He told the consultants about the long permit purgatory he had endured before opening for business. He told them about the $65 olive oil and the $12 chicken salad. He told them about the kitchen’s struggles to keep up with demand. He even told them about the undercooked chicken nuggets that, much to his horror, became international news. By the time he was done, the consultants had questions.

Why stock Mexican Coke?

Nussdorf said he wanted an eclectic mix, rather than the usual health mart monoculture.

How did he select the brands for his shelves?