Will Guidara

Restaurateur, Eleven Madison Park, The #1 Restaurant in the World | NYT Bestselling Author

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About This Speaker

Will Guidara is an acclaimed American restaurateur, entrepreneur and keynote speaker. He is known for redefining elite service and leadership through his philosophy of Unreasonable Hospitality. As the former co-owner of the world-famous Eleven Madison Park in New York City, Guidara changed the fine dining industry. Currently, he shares his transformative, actionable framework with leaders across every sector.

A graduate of Cornell University, Guidara quickly established himself as a force in the culinary world. Under his leadership, Eleven Madison Park received four stars from The New York Times, three Michelin stars, and was #1 on the 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Guidara’s belief in genuine, emotional service and empowering a culture where staff go “one step further” turned ordinary transactions into memorable moments.

Guidara is the New York Times bestselling author behind, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect. This book quickly became a staple for business leaders worldwide. In his keynotes, Will Guidara provides organizations with a blueprint for inspiring organizational excellence and delivering standout customer experiences. His presentations often feature the now-famous story, the genesis of the Unreasonable Hospitality concept. As shared in his popular TED Talk, “The secret ingredients of great hospitality,” he details how serving a simple hot dog in a four-star restaurant changed his life and business.

Guidara is a WSJ Magazine’s Innovator Award recipient and was a Co-Producer on the Emmy Award-winning television series The Bear. He is also the founder of Thank You, a hospitality development company, and hosts The Welcome Conference. Overall, Will Guidara is a reliable speaker who offers a powerful argument that practicing Unreasonable Hospitality is the greatest tool for modern leadership and brand differentiation.

Videos

Speaking Topics: Will Guidara

Unreasonable Hospitality: How Giving People More Than They Expect Can Get You To #1

Will Guidara took Eleven Madison Park from a middling Brasserie to the best restaurant in the world when he realized something revolutionary – in a restaurant, the food, the service, and the design are simply ingredients in the recipe of human connection. When Will encouraged his team to be present with their guests, take what they do seriously without taking themselves too seriously, and employ a “one size fits one” strategy, magic happened. In this talk, Will shares why these lessons took EMP to #1, and how an unreasonable approach to the pursuit of human connection can help you win – and give people an experience they’ll remember forever.

How To Build A Brand Centred On Unreasonable Hospitality

For most of America’s history, we functioned as a manufacturing economy; now, we’re a service economy—more than three-quarters of our GDP comes from service. So, whether you’re in retail, finance, education, healthcare, computer services, or communications, you are in the business of serving other people. Making good products is no longer enough, serving efficiently is no longer enough – now, it’s how you make the people you work with and those you serve feel that matters most of all. In this talk, Will will share why he believes our world is on the precipice of becoming a hospitality economy and how every business can choose to be in the business of hospitality by transforming ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences.

A New Model for Modern Leadership (Why Hospitality Is Today’s #1 Leadership Skill)

In a post-pandemic world of remote teams and disconnected cultures, leadership requires a new skill: hospitality. Will explains how great leaders, like great hosts, intentionally create environments where people feel connected, seen, and part of something larger. This talk offers a fresh perspective on team building and emotional intelligence, with actionable strategies to help leaders turn individuals into high-performing, inspired teams—no matter the setting.

Giving More vs. Less: Why Hospitality Is The Greatest Tool In Problem-Solving

When faced with business challenges, the instinct is often to cut back. Will makes a bold case for the opposite: to lean into generosity. By approaching problems through the lens of hospitality—focusing on creative, people-first solutions—leaders can unlock better outcomes and deeper connections. In this powerful and timely talk, Will shares how going above and beyond isn’t just good for morale—it’s a winning business strategy.