Musings on Unreasonable Hospitality

In his book, "Unreasonable Hospitality," author Will Guidara writes about when its reasonable to be unreasonable. It's all about the power of giving people more than they expect. Guidara, a talented entrepreneur in the restaurant world, talks about how we treat others.

He shares ways in which we can create a sense of belonging by welcoming them, and their ideas, to the table (literally and figuratively), thereby creating magic where we live and work.

Reading it, I thought about that word -- unreasonable -- and what it means. Usually, it conjures up a somewhat negative image -- someone asking for more, or expecting too much. Instead, Guidara uses it to define something or someone going above and beyond what anyone expected.

We all try to stand out these days, but what if, in the spirit of being hospitable, we tried to stand WITH others to cultivate relationships from the ground up?

We've become so disconnected that this seems like a wide gap now. But anyone who has dealt with the service sector in general these days, knows the bar is low for creating unexpected surprise and delight. Just five percent of your effort and five percent of your expense can make a huge difference, according to Guidara.

THE RULE OF 95/5

Guidara, who spent a lot of time in the accounting department of large restaurant empires, writes, “Manage 95 percent of your business down to the penny; spend the last five percent ‘foolishly.’ It sounds irresponsible; in fact, it’s anything but.

Because that last five percent has an outsize impact on the guest experience, it’s some of the smartest money you’ll ever spend."He gives examples that range from semi-unreasonable -- spending money on super expensive designer spoons for a gelato cart -- to the very unreasonable -- hiring an SUV to treat a family from Spain whose children saw snow fall for the first time from the huge windows of Eleven Madison Park to after-dinner sled rides in Central Park.

As he describes it, five percent effort can instill a culture of happiness within the world you are creating.But of course, you are busy. And you don't want to add more work to your staff. Or is it the money? When it comes to that, I've personally found that in business money will often get spent somewhere, often without intention.

It's better to put five percent aside to be spent intentionally on moving the needle to build community, to practice unreasonable hospitality.