Will Guidara
Will Guidara is a graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. He began his dining room training at Spago Beverly Hills and attended culinary school in the North of Spain. Prior to joining Eleven Madison Park, he served as the director of operations of the restaurants at The Museum of Modern Art. He became general manager of Eleven Madison Park in 2006.
2 Books Written
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
by Will Guidara
Rating: 4.4 ⭐
• 1 recommendation ❤️
National BestsellerEssential 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.
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide
by Will Guidara
From the New York Times bestselling author, former co-owner of the #1 restaurant in the world, and co-producer of the Emmy Award-winning series 'The Bear' comes the much-awaited interactive guide to putting the principles of Unreasonable Hospitality into action in your organization.With his book Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara issued a compelling "No matter what business you're in, you can make the choice to be in the hospitality industry." His lessons about service and leadership celebrated the one principle that never goes out of the human desire to be taken care of.If Unreasonable Hospitality is the why, then The Field Guide is the how--a step-by-step roadmap to applying those lessons, Building and leading your team with consistency, integrity--and yes, hospitalityDeveloping a culture of hospitality with five essential components--excellence, communication, collaboration, feedback, and repair--and the systems that will keep those values front and centerCreating bespoke gestures with the power to transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences--as well as how to create a ready-made toolkit of easily implemented ones that feel bespoke.Featuring deeply personal stories, his own as well as those of readers he's encountered, the book is packed with practical exercises that are as relevant to the CEO of a Fortune 500 as they are to the ambitious intern at the front desk. Each can be done on your own, with your team, or company-wide at the annual retreat.Beautifully designed and illustrated in full colour, this delightful, participatory guide—meant to be marked up and discussed—will have you feeling like a kid about to crack open a new colouring book. You'll walk away inspired, with a power pack of specific, immediately actionable ideas to help you elevate the magic in what you do—for yourself, the people you work with, and the people you serve.