🍽️ For nearly a decade, I owned and operated a restaurant called Eleven Madison Park, a very fancy restaurant in New York City. When I took over in 2006, it was a middling brasserie, but by 2020, it was named the number one restaurant in the world.

🌟 Our success was due to unbelievably delicious food, gracious service, and a beautiful dining room. However, it was a hot dog that earned us the top spot, leading to our principle of unreasonable hospitality.

🌭 In 2010, I overheard guests lamenting not trying a New York City hot dog. This inspired me to buy a hot dog and serve it as a surprise course. The guests were ecstatic, claiming it was the highlight of their trip.

💡 This experience taught me that our purpose in restaurants is to make people feel seen and welcome. Hospitality is about human connection, and if we pursue it unreasonably, we can create unforgettable experiences.

📝 I realized I was in the business of serving memories, not just dinner. Key elements for delivering unreasonable hospitality include:

• 👀 Being present - Truly listen to guests and their needs.
• 😄 Taking your work seriously without taking yourself too seriously.
• 👤 One size fits one - Treat each guest as a unique individual.

🚀 We created a position called Dream Weaver to help implement these ideas. This led to creative gestures that delighted our guests, such as transforming our dining room into a beach for a couple whose vacation was canceled.

🎉 The impact was profound; our team felt empowered and creative, leading to a culture of going above and beyond for our guests and each other.

💰 Unreasonable hospitality is not just for fancy restaurants. It can be applied in any service industry. For example, real estate agents can create memorable experiences for clients beyond just leaving a bottle of wine.

🤝 As we shift towards a hospitality economy, it’s essential to focus on how we make people feel. Unreasonable hospitality helped my restaurant achieve its goals and fostered a trusting team environment.

🌈 I encourage you to be a little more unreasonable in your relationships, creating lasting memories and transforming your business. It will make you and those around you feel really good.