6 Lessons from Unreasonable Hospitality That Will Change Your Community
Trust me, you'll learn something from Will Guidara's book Unreasonable Hospitality.
Trust me, you'll learn something by reading Will Guidara's book Unreasonable Hospitality.
Will, and his business partner, took Eleven Madison Park in New York from "just another restaurant" to the best in the world, not by obsessing about the food, but by putting hospitality first.
Ridiculously first.
Rather than focusing on pomp and ceremony, he focused on how you can make people feel.
Here are six lessons from the excellent book that could genuinely change how you run your business or community.
1. Service is black and white. Hospitality is colour.
Anyone can deliver a service. Answer emails. Ship a product. Show up on time.
But hospitality?
That's emotional. It's personal. It makes people feel seen.
Will talks about the difference like this: service is what you do for someone, while hospitality is how you make them feel while you're doing it.
So ask yourself: where are you just ticking boxes? And where are you creating genuine connections?
2. Be unreasonable for the right reasons
The word "unreasonable" usually comes with a raised eyebrow. But in this context, it's about going beyond what's expected to create moments people remember.
Think birthday cakes for solo diners. Snow machines for homesick Californians.
It's not about extravagance. It's about intentionality.
What would it look like to go one step further for your clients or team, not because you have to, but because you can?
3. Systems create freedom
This sounds counterintuitive, but the best moments of spontaneity come from the freedom that having strong systems in place.
When the basics run like clockwork, your team has space to be creative, to respond in the moment, to really see people.
Without systems and the basics covered, you're stuck in firefighting mode.
So the question is: what's stealing your team's attention that could be solved with a better process?
4. Every touchpoint matters
From the way you answer the phone to your invoice design you use, every interaction is a chance to show who you are.
In the restaurant world, this could be the way a menu is handed to you.
In your business?
It might be the tone of your emails. The way you welcome someone to a call. The note you send after a project wraps up.
Don't underestimate the small stuff. It all adds up.
5. Culture starts at the top
You can't fake hospitality. Not for long.
If you want your team to treat people well, they need to feel that same care from you.
Will spent as much time creating moments for his staff as he did for guests—because people who feel looked after are more likely to look after others.
So: how well are you caring for your team?
6. Let people be themselves
The best hospitality isn't scripted. It's real.
Will encouraged his team to bring their full personalities to work.
That's what made their service memorable, because it was human.
If your business has a brand voice that feels like a straitjacket, maybe it's time to loosen the collar.
What would happen if your team had more permission to show up as themselves?
Unreasonable Hospitality isn't a book about restaurants. It's a book about people. About care. About choosing to go the long way round because it makes someone's day.
And that mindset?
It can change your business.
One small moment at a time.
Want help building a more human-first experience for your clients or team? Let's chat.