Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Published by Smart Office
Author(s): Will Guidara
Publisher: Optimism Press, 2022
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Why We Love It:
In Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara, the former owner of Eleven Madison Park, shares the revolutionary hospitality practices that transformed his struggling restaurant into the best in the world. Through radical reinvention and personalized, over-the-top service, Guidara demonstrates how businesses across industries can turn ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences.
With captivating stories and insights from his journey alongside industry icons like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara shows how investing in people, fostering a culture of intention, and going beyond expectations can create magic for customers and teams alike. This must-read book is a blueprint for redefining success through hospitality.
Favorite Quotes:
“This stopping of the movement outwards is not self-defense, but rather an effort to have the response come from within, from the deepest part of one’s being.” – Morra Aarons-Mele
Book Jacket Summary:
The must-read New York Times bestseller that’s redefining hospitality and inspiring readers in every industry.
– Featured in FX’s The Bear and Showtime’s Billions
– JP Morgan NextList Pick
Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world.
How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. Guidara’s team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a magical sledding trip to Central Park after their dinner; they filled a private dining room with sand, complete with mai-tais and beach chairs, to console a couple with a cancelled vacation. And his hospitality extended beyond those dining at the restaurant to his own team, who learned to deliver praise and criticism with intention; why the answer to some of the most pernicious business dilemmas is to give more—not less; and the magic that can happen when a busser starts thinking like an owner.
Today, every business can choose to be a hospitality business—and we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. Featuring sparkling stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry’s most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara urges us all to find the magic in what we do—for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.
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