Season 3 - Ep. 2 | Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara’s Recipe for Greatness

When you run one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, your business is operating at near perfection. But to become the best, Will Guidara knew he’d have to redefine hospitality. Will is the former owner of Make it Nice, the hospitality group with restaurants covering the spectrum from fine dining to fast casual, including the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, NoMad in New York, London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and Davies and Brook at Claridge's hotel in London. Knowing his true passion lies in making people happy, Will opted to be unreasonable in his approach to service and hospitality, leading to Eleven Park Madison being named the best restaurant in the world in 2017 and the writing of his first book, Unreasonable Hospitality (Penguin Random House).

In this episode of Redefiners, Will discusses not only how to go above and beyond for customers, but how to inspire and support a team to do the same. Will’s unique perspective on hospitality can be applied across industries. From the benefits of starting at the bottom, to setting expectations for feedback, to building a culture of excellence, listen in as one of the restaurant industry’s great leaders shares his ascent to the top.

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• From Harvard to Hollywood: A Conversation with Debra Martin Chase 

• The Power of Art and the Art of Power with Henry Timms

Will Guidara 

Will Guidara is the former owner of Make it Nice, the hospitality group with restaurants covering the entire spectrum from fine dining to fast casual, including: the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, NoMad in New York, London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Davies and Brook at Claridge's hotel in London, and counter-service restaurant Made Nice. Through his focus on service and hospitality, Guidara led Eleven Madison Park to its pinnacle, earning numerous industry accolades, including the top spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Michelin stars, WSJ Innovator, and various James Beard Awards such as Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Service, and Outstanding Bar.

Will is also a co-founder of The Welcome Conference and the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Earlier this year, Will published his first book, Unreasonable Hospitality (Penguin Random House); and his first television show, The Big Brunch, debuted on HBO Max with co-judges Dan Levy and Sohla El-Waylly.