Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara: Our Book Club's Honest Review
- House of Undine
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
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This month The Archives read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, the man who turned Eleven Madison Park into one of the best restaurants in the world. I picked it up expecting a book about hospitality. It became something bigger, and it left me with a real opinion about how we treat each other. There's a verdict, and a surprise. Let's get into it.
Why I went in expecting one thing
I thought Unreasonable Hospitality would be all about the restaurant and the art of hospitality. It is really a business book, much more about management and how you lead a team. That caught me off guard, in a good way, and it is part of why I picked it for the club: the whole point of The Archives is to read all kinds of nonfiction and grow in every part of our lives.
What did the book club think of Unreasonable Hospitality?
We rated it high. It was one of our favorite reads of the year, and one of our members gave it a full five stars. What she loved most was how thoughtful Guidara is. So much of the book is about gifting, about noticing people, and about making both your guests and your employees feel genuinely seen.
What is Unreasonable Hospitality about?
Unreasonable Hospitality is Will Guidara's story of taking Eleven Madison Park to the top of the restaurant world by obsessing over how he made people feel. His most famous move: he overheard tourists who had never had a classic New York street hot dog, ran out to buy a two-dollar one, and served it as a plated course. He says nothing he ever served got a bigger reaction. Three ideas stuck with me. The 95/5 rule: be disciplined with 95% of your budget so you can be completely unreasonable with the last 5% on generous, surprising moments. His belief in a daily team meeting. And giving hard feedback early, before it turns into resentment.
Where the book actually took me: the lost art of customer service
The real thread underneath the book is customer service, and I think we have quietly lost it. The gold standard is the Ritz-Carlton, whose motto, "we are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen," is really about mutual respect, not servitude. Great service is not just a nicety either. A Harvard study found that cutting the number of customers you lose by just 5% can raise profits anywhere from 25 to 85 percent. And the luxury hotels that make you feel like family, like the fiercely loyal guests who call themselves Aman junkies, keep people coming back year after year. I save my full take, and a few stories from my own life, for the episode.
The science of taking care of people
Being cared for calms your nervous system, and being the one who gives care lights up the reward part of your brain, so it feeds both people. In a study of 15,000 people, a third said they would walk away from a brand they love after a single bad experience. We are wired to be taken care of. And the effort we put into making a moment special is not frivolous: rituals make experiences better, experiences bring more lasting happiness than things, and the special occasions are the ones we remember for the rest of our lives.
Why reading together beats reading alone, and come read with us
A book really cracks open in conversation, when someone sees it completely differently than you did. The Archives meets on Zoom, open to all, 18+, whether you finished the book or not. We have a whole new theme for next month, and I would love more voices in the room. Sign up at houseofundine.com/events and follow @thearchivesbookclub.
Quick questions
Is Unreasonable Hospitality worth reading?
Yes. Our book club rated it highly and it was a favorite of the year, especially if you care about business, leadership, or taking care of people. Just know going in that it is more a business book than a hospitality one.
What is Unreasonable Hospitality about?
How Will Guidara turned Eleven Madison Park into one of the best restaurants in the world by focusing on how he made people feel.
What is the 95/5 rule in Unreasonable Hospitality?
Be disciplined with 95% of your budget so you can be completely unreasonable with the last 5% on surprising, generous gestures for the people you serve.
What book is The Archives reading next?
We have picked a whole new theme for next month. Find the book and RSVP at houseofundine.com/events.
Come practice with us
Every Monday at 8pm EST, we hold a live virtual sound bath. Headphones in, the world dimmed, fully transported. Reserve your spot.
Where peace meets power. Let's dive in. xx, HOU
Find me everywhere: houseofundine.com, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack (The Lighthouse), Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Referenced in this episode: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, and his TED talk "The Secret Ingredients of Great Hospitality." Science and data: Reichheld and Sasser, "Zero Defections" (Harvard Business Review); PwC, "Experience Is Everything"; Vohs, Gino and Norton on rituals (Psychological Science); Van Boven and Gilovich on experiences vs. things; Dunn, Aknin and Norton on spending on others (Science).
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