But wait. Isn’t that a little unreasonable? After all, businesses are supposed to make money, not give things away. Right?
Maybe being unreasonable is exactly what our world needs!
The Art of Unreasonable Hospitality
I am just finishing an amazing book by Will Guidara titled Unreasonable Hospitality. Will is a restaurateur who helped transform Eleven Madison Park in New York City into a restaurant recognized as the best in the world.
Think about that for a moment. The BEST restaurant in the world! Not just because of its incredible food, beautiful surroundings, or exceptional service, but because of something that most businesses, organizations, and even individuals often overlook.
The remarkable power of giving people more than they expect.
That’s the message behind his book, and it’s the very reason I wanted to read it. My curiosity got the best of me. How does someone take an already extraordinary fine-dining experience and turn it into something people will remember for the rest of their lives?
The answer was hospitality. Not ordinary hospitality, but UNREASONABLE hospitality!
As I read story after story of what Will and his team did for their guests, I found myself smiling. Here was someone who understood something I’ve been talking about for years through The Interruption. Hospitality has the power to change the space people occupy, and sometimes the smallest gestures create the biggest impact.
Hospitality Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that hospitality doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. There are countless ways to demonstrate it, and every one of us has opportunities to practice it.
Simple Hospitality is where it all begins. Holding a door open for someone, offering a genuine smile, making eye contact, or saying a friendly hello. These small gestures may seem insignificant, but in our increasingly distracted and sometimes rude world, they can make someone’s day a little brighter. We should all be doing these things every day.
Personal Hospitality takes things a little further. This is love in action toward another human being. It’s noticing someone who needs encouragement, helping a neighbor, or going the extra mile for someone who never expected you to do anything at all. It’s about intentionally adding value to another person’s life.
Corporate Hospitality happens when businesses recognize that people are more important than transactions. It’s about owners and employees creating meaningful experiences for their customers while also valuing the people who work alongside them. Imagine a business that genuinely knows its customers and employees well enough to encourage, surprise, and inspire them personally. Now that’s a business I want to visit again!
Church Hospitality should be much more than a friendly handshake at the front door. Churches have greeters, shuttle drivers, welcome teams, and guest services designed to help people connect with the ministries they offer. But real church hospitality goes beyond a welcome center. It happens when someone walks through the doors as a stranger and leaves feeling like they belong.
Extreme Hospitality takes the extra-mile concept and stretches it even further. Instead of simply meeting someone’s needs, you go two miles. You intentionally create a personal experience designed specifically for that individual. It’s the unexpected act of kindness that causes someone to stop and say, “Wow! You did that for me?”
And then there’s Unreasonable Hospitality. This is where Will Guidara takes the whole idea to another level. It’s giving people something so far beyond their expectations that they can hardly believe it happened. It’s creating an experience that becomes a story they will tell their friends, family, and maybe even their grandchildren.
The fascinating thing is that unreasonable hospitality doesn’t always require an unreasonable amount of money. Sometimes all it takes is creativity, intentionality, and a genuine desire to make someone feel special.
Three Things That Change Everything
Whether it’s simple, personal, corporate, church, extreme, or unreasonable hospitality, I believe every act of genuine hospitality should accomplish three important things.
- Make people feel SEEN. In a world where people are often overlooked, ignored, or treated like just another number, hospitality says, “I notice you. You matter.”
- Make people feel WELCOME. There’s something powerful about entering a space where someone is genuinely glad you’re there. Hospitality removes barriers and replaces uncertainty with warmth.
- Give people a sense of BELONGING. This may be the most powerful outcome of all. When people feel they belong, they stop feeling like outsiders. They feel accepted, appreciated, and valued.
Think about those three things for a moment. Seen. Welcome. Belonging.
Isn’t that what every one of us wants? Whether we’re checking into a hotel, visiting a church, walking into a restaurant, starting a new job, or simply interacting with another human being, we all want to know that we matter.
And here’s what I love most about hospitality. You don’t need a fancy title, a large bank account, or a restaurant recognized as the best in the world to make it happen. You just need to care enough to do something.
Then came the interruption: The Two-Dollar Difference
One of the stories Will Guidara shares is about an experience at Eleven Madison Park involving a group of guests who mentioned that they had never tried a New York City street hot dog.
Imagine that! Here they were dining in one of the finest restaurants in the world, enjoying an extravagant meal, and what did they wish they had experienced? A simple New York street hot dog!
Instead of dismissing their conversation, Will did something completely unexpected. He went outside to purchase a hot dog from a street vendor. The kitchen carefully prepared it for presentation, and served it to the guests as part of their extraordinary dining experience.
The cost? About two dollars.
The impact? Priceless!
Think about the contrast. An elegant dining room, world-class chefs, exceptional food, and a two-dollar hot dog that became one of the most memorable moments of the entire experience.
The guests didn’t need another expensive course. They needed someone who was paying attention. Someone who listened. Someone who cared enough to turn an ordinary comment into an extraordinary memory.
That’s what I love about this story. Will didn’t just provide excellent service. He interrupted the expected experience with something personal, unexpected, and unforgettable.
He made those guests feel seen, welcome, and valued.
And he proved something I’ve believed for a long time. The power of hospitality isn’t measured by how much money we spend. It’s measured by how much we care.
What If We Were All a Little More Unreasonable?
What would happen if we approached our relationships, workplaces, churches, neighborhoods, and communities with that same attitude?
What if, instead of asking, “What’s expected of me?” we started asking, “What could I do that would make this person’s day unforgettable?”
What if we paid closer attention to the people around us and discovered opportunities to surprise them with kindness? Not because we had to. Not because there was something in it for us. But simply because people matter.
Imagine how different our rude world could become if we all practiced just a little unreasonable hospitality.
Will Guidara changed the experience of dining at Eleven Madison Park by recognizing the extraordinary value of ordinary people. He understood that the most memorable part of an experience isn’t always what you receive, but how someone makes you feel.
That’s exactly what The Interruption is all about. Interrupting someone’s ordinary day with an unexpected act of kindness that reminds them they are seen, appreciated, and valued.
So here’s my challenge to you. The next time you have an opportunity to show hospitality, don’t just meet someone’s expectations. Surprise them. Go beyond what’s required. Make it personal. Make it memorable.
And who knows? You might just change someone’s life with the equivalent of a two-dollar hot dog.
Now THAT’S the remarkable power of hospitality!
Here is a link to Will Guidara’s TED talk
