Will Guidara, a man who clearly never met a budget he couldn't charmingly obliterate, has written a book! It's called "Unreasonable Hospitality," and frankly, it should be required reading for anyone running a lemonade stand, let alone a Fortune 500 company.
Guidara, you see, believes in the radical notion that making people feel good is actually good for business. Imagine that! It's like discovering that sunshine makes flowers grow, only applied to customer service.
Now, some might say, "Art, this all sounds a bit… touchy-feely." And to that, I say, “Precisely!” We've spent too long in a world where "synergy" and "optimization" are worshipped like golden calves. Guidara dares to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the secret sauce is a little more sauce than they're expecting.
He learned it from his father, Frank, and from Danny Meyer – names that, in the restaurant world, are whispered with the same reverence usually reserved for saints who can turn water into a really good Cabernet. The key, apparently, is intention! You have to mean it. You can't just slap a mint on the pillow and call it a day. You need to become the pillow. (Figuratively speaking, of course. Don't actually become a pillow. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen).
Guidara shares the secret phrases used at Eleven Madison Park, like "athletic hospitality" and "be the swan". This is not a new language folks, it is something they should be teaching in kindergarden. A world where kids are the swans and not the ugly ducklings.
He talks about making the "charitable assumption" - assuming the best of people. What a concept! It's like giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, which, let's face it, we could all use a little more of.
He even advocates for something truly radical: taking care of your employees. Not just with dental plans (although those are nice, too), but by actually listening to them, giving them opportunities to lead, and letting them shine. What a crazy idea! Turns out, happy employees make for happy customers. Who knew?
The book is chock-full of examples: the small gestures, the grand gestures, the unexpected surprises. It's about creating "Legends" – those stories customers tell their friends, the ones that become part of the restaurant's lore.
And while "Unreasonable Hospitality" might seem like it's just about restaurants, Guidara makes a compelling case that it applies to everything. Because at the end of the day, aren't we all just trying to make someone's day a little brighter? Aren't we all, in our own way, trying to be just a little bit… unreasonable?
So, go ahead, read the book. Learn the lessons. And then, go out there and give away the store. Not literally, of course. Just give a little more kindness, a little more attention, a little more… heart. You might just be surprised at what comes back. Besides you never know, in today's world, kindness is more rare than free money.
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