Vice President of Operations
Sage Restaurant Concepts
Michael DeGano
A valued member of Sage Hospitality Group, DeGano has been a member of the Sage Restaurant Concepts team since 2017, with many years of management and hospitality expertise under his belt. DeGano draws on a lifetime of appreciation for dining to create a gathering place for SRC’s guests. He was the general manager of Kachina Cantina and was the opening general manager for the Original at Mc Gregor Square, both in Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver, before being promoted to his current role within Sage Restaurant Concepts.
His outlook on management takes inspiration from his own experiences rising through the industry ranks. “I like to mentor and coach my staff towards excellence, without getting in the way of their talents and creativities,” he says. Leading by example, he appreciates personal responsibility and empowers others to take charge with confidence. DeGano’s innate skills in community-building harken back to his New Jersey upbringing among a large Italian family that regularly gathered around abundantly filled tables. Early industry inspirations came from his tenure bartending and serving at local restaurants in New Jersey and California where he attended the University of San Francisco.
This formative experience set him on a path towards hospitality leadership after he graduated, including a 20-year tenure with Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants during which DeGano managed Tulio and Sazerac in Seattle, Poste Brasserie in Washington, D.C., and served as director of operations for the company for eight years. Here is where he was able to use his training, coaching and mentoring gifts by leading many restaurant openings and re-launches plus his curated hospitality seminars he led across the portfolio.
DeGano currently lives in the Ballpark neighborhood of Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver with his husband. In their spare time—whether traveling or staying local—they love to dine, drink, and meet new people and to hike and play in the great outdoors of Colorado.
