I Finally Met Will Guidara
I finally met Will Guidara.
I was having dinner with a few fellow attendees before the Unreasonable Hospitality Summit in Nashville when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned around, and there he was — Will and his buddy Brian Canlis (Brian is amazing, too, by the way). We chatted and joked for a few minutes, then they left to go surprise some more diners. Couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the evening.
If you don’t know Will, let me tell you a little about him.
Will took a restaurant in New York called Eleven Madison Park from good to great to #1 in the world. And he did it by obsessively caring about how each and every guest felt, from the moment they stepped in the door to the moment they stepped out.
He went to unreasonable lengths.
Once, he overheard a table of European foodies lamenting that they'd eaten everywhere worth eating in NYC but never managed to try a New York hot dog. And now they were fixing to catch a flight home. Will dropped everything and ran outside. A minute later he raced back to the kitchen with the goods: an authentic “dirty water dog” from a stand down the block. His Michelin-starred chef dubiously cut it up, added a swish of ketchup and relish with a few micro-herbs on top to make it fancy, and plated each piece. Will delivered the treat just before the final course. The guests were stunned. Out of tens of millions of dollars of world-class food he’d served over the decades, Will said he’d never seen a reaction come close to this one.
Another time, his team learned that the couple at one of their tables had just eloped. Family drama had forced them to call off the wedding at the last minute (yikes!). They were celebrating at EMP. Will and his team slowed the service for this table so they’d be one of the last to finish, when the dining room had mostly emptied. After the final course, the server invited the couple upstairs — where the whole restaurant team had gathered for their nightly post-service party. Just as the couple stepped through the door, Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” came on. The very song they’d chosen for their first dance. Will had given this couple the gift of a first dance, a proper celebration. I promise you - no one there will ever forget that night.
Here’s the simple truth: hospitality is a selfish pleasure. It feels amazing to make others feel amazing.
And whatever you do for a living, you can choose to be in the hospitality business.
When I first read Will’s book a few years back, I became obsessed. It gave words and systems to so many things I already believed. I know many of you ended up buying it because I just wouldn’t shut up about it. I don’t think anyone regrets it.
So I went to Nashville for his 2-day Unreasonable Hospitality Summit. My expectations were high, and I wasn’t disappointed.
(Used to get in big trouble for doodling during school…)
My favorite part wasn’t the sessions, it was just watching Will and his team put on a masterclass in making every single person there feel amazing, welcome, right where they belonged. They even brought in a magician, Ben Seidman. I’ve seen plenty of magic, but this guy was something else. I’m still mad about some of it…
Which reminds me of something Will repeats: Hospitality is magic, and magic is hospitality. True hospitality elicits pure wonder. Makes you feel like something extraordinary just happened — because it did.
I’m fired up to create more of that. Through the hospitality, yes. But also through the places themselves, and all the tiny little details that compound into an unforgettable feeling, that communicate care before a single word is spoken.
If you haven’t read the book yet, do it. It will expose mediocrity you hadn’t seen before, and inspire you to be more unreasonable. And also, read his short bi-weekly newsletter: Pre-Meal. It’s one of my favorites.
—isaac
