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Reading lists

Books to read if you love The Bear

The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

Unreasonable Hospitality

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
AS SEEN ON THE HIT TV SHOW 'THE BEAR' 
 
‘Any organization would benefit from his thinking’ Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Start With Why 
 
‘One of the five best management books I have ever read. Plus, it is the most engaging and entertaining’ Roger Martin, bestselling author of Playing to Win 
 
The inspiring, bestselling guide to the essential lessons in service and leadership from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park. 
 
At just twenty-six years old, Will Guidara took charge of Eleven Madison Park: a struggling New York City two-star brasserie that had never lived up to its breathtaking room. Eleven years later, it 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. 
But the most lasting impact was felt behind the scenes. Guidara’s leadership philosophy empowered his team to think and act differently, learning:<ul><li>How to deliver praise and criticism with intention</li><li>Why the solution to the toughest business challenges is often to give more, not less</li><li>How real magic happens when every employee starts thinking like an owner</li></ul>Now in Unreasonable Hospitality, Guidara shows us that every business can choose to be a hospitality business – and how we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. 
 
Packed with vivid stories from the world’s most celebrated restaurants, and featuring industry icons such as Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Unreasonable Hospitality is an essential read for anyone who wants to lead with generosity, build exceptional teams, and create work that truly matters.

Working alongside Will Guidara is the ultimate masterclass in how to thoughtfully improve the lives of those around you. He is now sharing his truly remarkable gift with the world in this keenly observant and heartfelt must-read, for anyone looking to stand out from the pack.

Dan Levy, Emmy® award winning writer, actor, director, and producer of Schitt’s Creek

Any organization would benefit from his thinking.

Will Guidara weaves heartfelt stories and keen observations to illustrate how purposeful, no-holds-barred hospitality satisfies our essential need to belong. An exceptional book for anyone or any organization aiming to excel at human connection.

Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and author of Setting the Table

One of the five best management books I have ever read. Plus, it is the most engaging and entertaining – by a wide margin. This is, flat out, not a book to miss.

Roger Martin, writer, strategy advisor and management thinker

Will Guidara is one of the very best in the hospitality business, but this book is for everyone. His insights on how to be a great entrepreneur cut through the noise.

David Chang, chef and founder of Momofuku, and host of Ugly Delicious

Will gives us the best reason to be unreasonable—the people we serve. His approach to hospitality is novel, noble, and not at all exclusive to the restaurant industry. If you want to revolutionize the way you do business, you need this book!

Dave Ramsey, bestselling author and radio host

Making people feel welcome, accepted, appreciated, seen, known… what could be cooler than that? This is what Will has unlocked in this book: that hospitality is as thrilling and inspiring to give as it is to receive, both in work, and in life.

Christina Tosi, founder and CEO of Milk Bar

In this book, Will Guidara shows us how to lead and to serve at the next level by building a foundation of hospitality, and creating a people-first “working together” culture. It’s an inspiring book for businesses in every industry.

Alan Mulally, former CEO of Boeing and Ford

In dining rooms, in conference rooms, and in all corners of hospitality, Will Guidara has made a career out of going above and beyond, giving people what they want, even when they don’t know they want it. This book puts his story, and more than a few of his trade secrets, in your hands.

Guidara makes his nonfiction debut with an enthusiastic guide for leaders [and asserts] sage advice about leadership.

Will Guidara is the author of the New York Times bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership was named the Best Restaurant in the World. He is the host of the Welcome Conference, a co-producer of the Emmy Award-winning series The Bear, and a recipient of the Wall Street Journal Innovator Award. He lives in New York with his wife, Christina, and their two children, Frankie and Sonny.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
AS SEEN ON THE HIT TV SHOW 'THE BEAR' 
 
‘Any organization would benefit from his thinking’ Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Start With Why 
 
‘One of the five best management books I have ever read. Plus, it is the most engaging and entertaining’ Roger Martin, bestselling author of Playing to Win 
 
The inspiring, bestselling guide to the essential lessons in service and leadership from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park. 
 
At just twenty-six years old, Will Guidara took charge of Eleven Madison Park: a struggling New York City two-star brasserie that had never lived up to its breathtaking room. Eleven years later, it 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. 
But the most lasting impact was felt behind the scenes. Guidara’s leadership philosophy empowered his team to think and act differently, learning: 
<ul><li>How to deliver praise and criticism with intention</li><li>Why the solution to the toughest business challenges is often to give more, not less</li><li>How real magic happens when every employee starts thinking like an owner</li></ul> 
Now in Unreasonable Hospitality, Guidara shows us that every business can choose to be a hospitality business – and how we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. 
 
Packed with vivid stories from the world’s most celebrated restaurants, and featuring industry icons such as Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Unreasonable Hospitality is an essential read for anyone who wants to lead with generosity, build exceptional teams, and create work that truly matters.

Will Guidara

Working alongside Will Guidara is the ultimate masterclass in how to thoughtfully improve the lives of those around you. He is now sharing his truly remarkable gift with the world in this keenly observant and heartfelt must-read, for anyone looking to stand out from the pack.

Dan Levy, Emmy® award winning writer, actor, director, and producer of Schitt's Creek

Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and author of Setting the Table

One of the five best management books I have ever read. Plus, it is the most engaging and entertaining – by a wide margin. This is, flat out, not a book to miss.

Will Guidara is one of the very best in the hospitality business, but this book is for everyone. His insights on how to be a great entrepreneur cut through the noise.

David Chang, chef and founder of Momofuku, and host of Ugly Delicious

Will gives us the best reason to be unreasonable—the people we serve. His approach to hospitality is novel, noble, and not at all exclusive to the restaurant industry. If you want to revolutionize the way you do business, you need this book!

Dave Ramsey, bestselling author and radio host

Making people feel welcome, accepted, appreciated, seen, known… what could be cooler than that? This is what Will has unlocked in this book: that hospitality is as thrilling and inspiring to give as it is to receive, both in work, and in life.

Put the ideas of the New York Times bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality into action with this beautifully illustrated, interactive companion guide from Will Guidara, former co-owner of the legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park. 
 
With his book Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara issued a compelling invitation: "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 season: the human desire to be taken care of. 
 
If Unreasonable Hospitality is the why, then The Field Guide is the how. 
 
This practical, step-by-step journal offers a clear roadmap for applying Guidara’s lessons in real life, helping you turn generous thinking into consistent action. Inside, you’ll learn how to: 
<ul><li>Build and lead your team with consistency, integrity--and yes, hospitality</li><li>Develop a culture of hospitality with five essential components--excellence, communication, collaboration, feedback, and repair--and the systems that will keep those values front and centre</li><li>Create bespoke gestures with the power to transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences--as well as how to create a ready-made toolkit of simple, repeatable actions that still feel personal</li></ul> 
 
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.

Will Guidara

Praise for Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide

Working alongside Will Guidara is the ultimate masterclass in how to thoughtfully improve the lives of those around you. He is now sharing his truly remarkable gift with the world in this keenly observant and ...

Any organization would benefit from his thinking.

Will Guidara weaves heartfelt stories and keen observations to illustrate how purposeful, no-holds-barred hospitality satisfies our essential need to belong. An exceptional book for anyone or any organ ...

Working alongside Will Guidara is the ultimate masterclass in how to thoughtfully improve the lives of those around you. He is now sharing his truly remarkable gift with the world in this keenly observant and ...

Any organization would benefit from his thinking.

Will Guidara weaves heartfelt stories and keen observations to illustrate how purposeful, no-holds-barred hospitality satisfies our essential need to belong. An exceptional book for anyone or any organ ...

Working alongside Will Guidara is the ultimate masterclass in how to thoughtfully improve the lives of those around you. He is now sharing his truly remarkable gift with the world in this keenly observant and ...

Any organization would benefit from his thinking.

Will Guidara weaves heartfelt stories and keen observations to illustrate how purposeful, no-holds-barred hospitality satisfies our essential need to belong. An exceptional book for anyone or any organ ...

Books by Will Guidara

Series by Will Guidara

Unreasonable Hospitality

Articles featuring Will Guidara

Books to read if you love The Bear

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