Jeff Hirsh
2
Read: June 2026
Inspiration: recommended on Amazon’s bestsellers list; had been to the restaurant in NYC
Summary
Written with the help of ChatGPT, below is a brief summary to understand what is covered in the book.
| “Unreasonable Hospitality”, published in 2022 by restaurateur and author Will Guidara, explores how delivering more than customers expect can transform an ordinary business into an extraordinary one. Drawing on his experience leading Eleven Madison Park from a struggling restaurant to being named the best restaurant in the world, Guidara distinguishes efficient service from the deeper emotional connection created through hospitality. He describes how personalized gestures, empowered employees, and attention to small details can create memorable experiences that customers value far beyond the underlying product. Guidara also emphasizes the importance of maintaining rigorous operational discipline so that a business has the freedom to occasionally spend irrationally on moments that create joy. Ultimately, the book argues that virtually any company can differentiate itself by making people feel genuinely recognized, cared for, and valued. |
Unedited Notes
Direct from my original book log, below are my unedited notes (abbreviations and misspellings included) to show how I take notes as I read.
Hospitality vs service distinction is central, service is executing transaction correctly/efficiently, hospitality is how you make person feel, can provide technically perfect service and still zero memorable hospitality, Will Guidara grew up around restaurants/hospitality through father and eventually joined Danny Meyer/Union Square Hospitality Group, learned early that tiny details can communicate huge amount to guest, took over Eleven Madison Park when it was good but not world-class and partnership with chef Daniel Humm became kitchen + dining room operating as equals vs traditional hierarchy where chef is star and front-of-house follows, 95/5 rule = manage 95% of expenses ruthlessly/down to penny so have freedom to spend remaining 5% “foolishly” on things that create disproportionate joy, ie fancy gelato spoons at MoMA or ridiculous personalized experiences at EMP, famous hot dog story—overheard guests saying only NYC food they had failed to try was street hot dog, employee ran outside/bought one and kitchen plated it before their fancy meal ended, guests remembered that more than expensive courses, team eventually created “Dreamweaver” function basically dedicated to researching/planning personalized surprises or “legends” for guests, people closest to customer have best info so empower them, leadership partly about articulating clear standards and repeating them endlessly, “one inch rule” = improve every detail a tiny amount because accumulated inches separate good from great, being “excellent at your job” but also showing up as human being, criticism/feedback should be direct but come from genuine desire to make person better, the whole reason 5% can be irrational is because 95% is controlled rationally, eventually EMP reached #1 World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017, Guidara/Humm partnership later ended and Humm bought him out, giving people more than they expect is especially powerful precisely because expectations have gotten so transactional
