Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

by Will Guidara

It is a book about how to make people feel like they belong.

we have an opportunity—a responsibility—to make magic in a world that desperately needs more of it.

“The moment you start to pursue service through the lens of hospitality, you understand there’s nobility in it. We may not be saving people’s lives, but we do have the ability to make their lives better by creating a magical world they can escape to—and I see that not as an opportunity, but as a responsibility, and a reason for pride.”

Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them.

“Being right is irrelevant.”

These days, people, especially younger people, are more interested in collecting experiences than in getting more stuff. But restaurant meals, like many service experiences, are ephemeral. You can take a copy of the menu home, and pictures of your plate, but you can’t relive that bite of foie gras. That changes when you leave with a story that’s good enough to put you back in the moment, as if you were living it all over again.

Teller: “Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.”

Serve only what you want to serve, and you’re showing off. Serve only what you think other people want, and you’re pandering. Serve what you genuinely want to receive, and there will be authenticity to the experience.