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

By 2008, as Guidara and the team at Eleven Madison Park strove to vault EMP from three-star to four-star status, they realized that they were pushing themselves too hard: The staff was overworked and stressed out and their wellbeing was deteriorating. They realized they needed to slow down, focus on fewer things, and establish practices to relieve stress on an ongoing basis as well as in the moment, when crisis situations cropped up.

To contribute to overall wellness, Guidara led the team over the course of several months to identify the hobbies that brought them joy and relaxation. He encouraged them to engage in these practices to destress and recenter themselves.

In addition, one of the captains (head waiters) suggested using a discreet gesture to signal to each other when they needed assistance in the dining room: They would make eye contact with another worker and touch their lapel to indicate that that person should come assist them. Guidara notes that asking for help can feel vulnerable, but by creating a simple and efficient system to ask for help, this removed the stigma from doing so.

By 2008, the buzz around Eleven Madison Park indicated that EMP might be in the running for its first Michelin star. However, the restaurant wasn’t even on the list, which was hugely disappointing to the team.

Then, in late 2008, the global recession hit. EMP’s business began to suffer by early 2009, when guests sharply dropped off. Luckily, Shake Shack, another restaurant in Danny Meyer’s restaurant group, continued to grow in popularity during the recession, and the profits from Shake Shack helped keep EMP afloat.

Guidara’s strategy to keep EMP alive involved cutting as many costs as possible that would not directly affect the experience of guests. For instance, instead of using two tablecloths to cover the pass (the countertop where plates of food were picked up by food runners), the team used one. They checked the dishwasher settings to ensure no soap was being wasted. The chefs switched to washable cotton skullcaps instead of disposable paper toques.

EMP also brought in more guests by offering a more affordable lunch option, while still managing to increase average check size by offering guests a dessert cart, which made ordering dessert quicker and more appealing.

Guidara’s father advised him to write down every hack and cost-cutting measure that he learned during this period of adversity so that Guidara wouldn’t revert to inefficient spending once this difficult period was over.

Frank Bruni, The New York Times food critic, walked into the restaurant during a lunch service, which indicated the beginning of another review season for EMP. Even though the review process for a restaurant usually takes a couple of weeks, this one took several months, which was stressful. The chef, general manager, and wine director normally stop taking days off during review season so that they are guaranteed to be at the restaurant when the critic arrives.

Every night during that review season, the team designated one of the tables the Critic of the Night, and they put as much effort and care into that table as they would if the Times food critic was dining there. Finally, several months into the process, Guidara decided to take a day off and see a show with his girlfriend. When the show let out, he found out that that was the day Bruni had arrived for his final review meal.

When the review came out, nearly a year since Bruni’s first meal of the review season, EMP finally received four stars from The New York Times. The team celebrated, throwing a huge party at the restaurant.