Book Review: "Unreasonable Hospitality"

Will Guidara was in his upper 20's when he helped transform a struggling fine dining restaurant in Manhattan into a 4-four Michelin beauty, an age in whih=ch most of us are still trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up.

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He even went a step further and transformed Eleven Madison Park into the best restaurant in the world.

I am inspired. His story shows that major accomplishments like that do not just happen. They take strong visionaries, dedication, and pure work. Greatness is not accidental. Guidara achieved these enviable awards with a true passion for the industry. He wanted to mold the kitchen and dining world into a beautiful marriage. The impressive and lengthy awards show that he did that. He was tired of the stuffiness of fine dining, and he wanted hus patrons to feel pure joy whenever they dined at his restaurant.

He approached hospitality like a magician does with his tricks. He wow'ed the audience and made them forget about the dreariness of reality. He beat the audiences' expectations out of the park. I wish more GM's approached restaurant life with child-like excitement. P0st-covid, there is a decline in true hospitality. I rarely go into a restaurant having my expectations or needs transformed. Mind you, fine dining should deliver more because the public is paying a lot of money to eat there. But Guidara did not interpret fine dining hospitality as free cavier/champaigne at the end of a 3-hour $1,000 meal. Why? Because stuff like that is expected in a fine dining setting. It's not unreasonable. His ideas stood out amongst his impressive competitors. The whole point is shatter reality.

In the book, Guidara describes the several approaches that he took accomplish unreasonable hospitality. Most of it involved catering to the restaurant-goers most innermost desires without expecting it. I do not want to give them away. Read the book :)

Here are my takeways:

1. Accolades aren't cheap.

You have to earn awards and recognition or they mean nothing. Guidara spent almost a decade earning some of his awards and truly mastering his vision. He networked. He frequented his competitor restaurants and pulled long hours. He wasn't living in the dark letting the world or good ideas pass him by. Imagine how many of us have done that to our detriment!

2. Journaling.

How can you remember a good idea if you do not write it down? Force pen to paper. It is the only way to see and understand your progress and vision (in my opinion). He wrote down his ideas every night and chonicled his progress (what worked and what didn't). Again, he was not stumbling upon good ideas. Success is a not random thing.

3. Compromise.

Only a dictator gets everything he wants. Guidara understood when compromise was necessary. If he truly wanted to implement an idea into action, he would tell his business partner that it was "important to him." It worked! That magic line, used only when necessary, allowed him to achieve what he wanted, but also allowed his business partner to think too. Success is like a marriage. He compromised regularly too.

4. Get outside of your comfort zone.

No one likes this advice. But sorry, it is fundamental. Guidara was constantly implementing new ideas that asked a lot of his staff and himself. Longer hours and more menu additions to memorize. But he made sure to add in team building exercises too. He was also willing to admit when he was wrong to his staff and fellow management, even publicly.

5. He listened to his dad's advice.

I loved reading about his close relationship with his father Frank. Frank had excellent insight into the restaurant industry because he worked in it successfully. Guidara was smart to seek him out routinely. His dad was not afraid to question Guidara's ideas but he also encouraged him when Guidara became tired. We all need a parent or mentor (or even therapy) like that to keep us in check and fueled forward.