Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

Will Guidara

Oct 2022 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Will Guidara

About this audiobook

The must-read national bestseller that's redefining hospitality and inspiring readers in every industry. 

- JP Morgan NextList Pick
- Featured in FX's The Bear and Showtime's Billions

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.

Ratings and reviews

Incredible book for any hospitality professional, so many relatable stories with unexpected, " unresonable "ends. many great lessons that will undoubtably help any readers carrer on the short, medium and long term.

Exceptional book well written, I saw the story play out before my eyes, I could see the principles at work and it's importance to excellence.

Amazing from start to finish. As a restaurant manager myself it was awesome to see an evolution of a person not just a business. Not every restaurant is a 4 star Madison Park . Some ideas simply won't or can't translate. For every one that doesn't you'll find 2 that do work.

About the author

Will Guidara is the founder of Thank You, a creative agency that helps companies across disciplines make the choice to be in the hospitality industry. He is the former owner of Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership was named the number one restaurant in the world. He is the host of the Welcome Conference, the world's preeminent hospitality symposium, and a judge on HBO Max’s The Big Brunch. He has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40, and is a recipient of The Wall Street Journal’s Innovator Award. He lives in New York with his wife, Christina, and their two children, Frankie and Sonny.