Unreasonable Hospitality

The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect

By: Will Guidara

Narrated by: Will Guidara

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

National Bestseller

Essential lessons in hospitality for every business, from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park.

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.

©2022 Will Guidara (P)2022 Penguin Audio

A Stratification What it Means to Be of Service

I'm writing this review just after finishing the book. I never write reviews, but felt compelled in response to the enormous amount of beneficial business and relationship lessons I've learned from this book.

Throughout the three days it took me to listen to this audiobook, I realized that I had made progress at improving communication with my wife. I had been frustrated at my inability to break through some of her walls and deepen our connection. We were able to have an effective and critical conversation about our finances, because I used what I learned in this book. She's very timid and fearful about change, and often feels guilty when she doesn't live up to other people's standard. When I was vulnerable about my own shortcomings and promised to take accountability for the process of budgeting, I noticed she was significantly more open to working with me to accomplish our financial goals. This was a walk that I hadn't been able to break for a year, and it happened in a near instant thanks to Will Guidara.

In this book, I learned that apologizing doesn't mean that I'm wrong, that people have different responses to different forms of criticisms, and most importantly, that a deeper connection can only be formed through being honest, vulnerable, and by standing up for, and taking accountability for excellence and loving others.

As a bonus, I also learned that I need to take P&L statement seriously and get creative in managing expenses if I'm ever going to run a profitable and successful business.

Mostly a self indulgent biography, not practical hospitality teaching.

Will was phenomenal in the interviews marketing this book, which is why I was so excited to read it.

Unfortunately, instead of a few meaningful stories to illustrate hospitality principles; this book is a self indulgent ‘dear diary’ biography, with just a sentence or two of practical teaching or principals on hospitality. That’s ok if this was billed as a biography… but it’s not.

So, whether the author or the publisher is to blame, this book is not the guide to hospitality I thought I signed up for, but Will’s very detailed biography of every single job he did in every single restaurant since he was a teen.

Great book for any business

I saw that this book was used in a scene on the Hulu show "The Bear," which inspired me to read reviews about this text.

From there I bought it and devoured it in no time flat!

The result is that I love this book and the ideas for doing the extra 5% is just fantastic.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in building their leadership skills.

Must Read

Best book I've gone through in about a year! Will probably be my most gifted book this holiday.

Spoke to my SOUL

I stumbled across this book while watching the best episode of The Bear that was already inspirational enough. This book found me in a place of deep discovery and has helped to round some rough spaces in my world. I’ve longed to be a better husband, unreasonably loving Father and just a complete individual. This book has shifted me in a way I can’t explain yet. It’s like something I’ve been trying to articulate within me was suddenly spoken. I completed this book on the start of my 38th birthday and I know this year will catapult me into a new stratosphere armed with loving people deeper than ever before. Thank you Will for being gracious to my family and those I’m called to served through your shared wisdom. May God bless you immensely!

Interesting - inspiring

This was well narrated by the author . Interesting approach to running companies . Insight into restaurant business

Deceiving topic

I am 1/2 through the book and I am tired of hearing about restaurants and kitchens. This is not the appropriate book title for the many stories told in this book about the taste of onions and flower arrangements on a bar.

Slow paced loosely packed with interesting stories

Hearing it recommended by Simon Sinek made me look forward to it. unfortunately I didn't love it. I didn't feel in an adventure with the author and couldn't stay really engaged.

Loved it

I loved the ease which the story takes you through all the years into making a goal happens

Good book, easy to read.

If you work in hospitality, you need to read this book. Very well written and easy to read.

Fantastic Book for any manager in any field

I Believe that this is one of the must read for any Industry. Yes it’s in the field of hospitality but it still translates to so many.

Great insights

kinda expected a bit more nitty gritty resturant stuff, overall great. lovely stuff on delegated leadership

great read lots of great takeaways

Packed full of great takeaways.
Loved the 95 / 5 bit, cognac with the bill and so many more. looking forward to welcoming will to Finland next year

Thoroughly thought provoking for everyone

I'm not in the food industry. I'm not in the hospitality industry. In fact, I never have officially. But this book has taught me something incredibly powerful - we're all in the business of hospitality. It doesn't matter where you work. You have the ability to provide unreasonable hospitality to everyone around you. In fact, you have the mandate if you want to lead an incredible life.

Stick around to the very end!

This book was absolutely incredible. The idea of being unreasonable about hospitality is so easy to adopt and all the stories and examples make it super easy to understand. Thanks Will for a great one!

Fantastic and inspirational

One of those books that inspire you to look at your life a little differently,
.

There are many key lessons not only for business, but on how to lead a more fulfilling life being unreasonably hospitable to others: be it your family, friends, loved ones or colleagues.

A truly inspiring book

What a fantastic read. So many inspiring examples of how to lead and approach customer service

Excellent tale, amazing delivery!

Didn’t know it was the author reading it until the very very end! Think I’ll have to listen again now. Really entertaining and informative book that provides loads of brilliant frameworks and insights. I’d especially recommend this to fans of Danny Meyer’s ‘Setting The Table’

Unreasonably enjoyable

I really enjoyed Will’s tone and candid self assessment through wonderfully expressive examples of his philosophies. I’d recommend the book to those with interests in restaurants, business change and improvement and well as relationship management both professional and personal. I was especially touched by the dreamweavers and chapter on gift giving

Wonderful

A excellent reading for everyone who is running any kind of business. It opens your mind for all the areas which you can improve your business.