Hospitality
What is Hospitality
Hospitality, at its core, is the art of making people feel seen, valued, and cared for. It’s not just about service, it’s about presence, intention, and creating experiences that connect on a human level.
True hospitality doesn't happen by accident. It’s designed, coached, modeled, and lived every shift, every day. And when it’s done right, it becomes the heartbeat of a workplace, a kitchen, or a company.
My Belief in True Hospitality
I believe hospitality should never feel transactional. It’s not just about getting the food out hot or responding to a request quickly, it's about how you show up for people.
Whether it’s a guest in a café, a teammate in the kitchen, or a client across the table, hospitality means offering attention, empathy, and generosity, especially in the smallest moments. The best hospitality feels effortless, but it's built on structure, culture, and a relentless commitment to people.
My Pillars
- People First: Treat your team like guests, and your guests like family.
- Consistency is Care: The details you repeat well are what build trust.
- Anticipation Over Reaction: Great service solves needs before they’re spoken.
- Presence Over Perfection: Authenticity and attentiveness beat perfection every time.
- Hospitality is Everyone’s Job: From dishwashers to senior level executives, it starts with how we show up for each other.
Things I love
- The energy of a team moving together in service of something bigger with a purpose
- The magic that happens when we get it just right for someone. A warm greeting, a remembered detail, or a beautifully plated dish that connects them to another time and place. Maybe it reminds them of their mother’s cooking, or a meal they had back home, or a moment they didn’t even realize they missed.
- The emotional intelligence it takes to anticipate needs before they’re spoken, the ah-ha moment when the opportunity strikes to deliver.
- The joy in mentoring others to find their voice and confidence through service
Hospitality in B&I
In the Business & Industry world, hospitality means building trust in environments that are often fast-paced, high-volume, and constantly changing. It’s about turning everyday moments like coffee breaks, lunch meetings, and catering events into opportunities to surprise, delight, and support the well-being of working communities.
I believe hospitality in B&I should feel just as intentional as it does in a Michelin restaurant. Maybe even more so, because we’re part of people’s everyday lives!
....and that’s where culture is built.
A moment the stuck with me
And there are many!
Years ago, during a high-profile corporate café opening, we were gearing up for what most would call a flawless launch. New design, great food, big client presence. But what I remember most wasn’t the execution, it was a moment of quiet hospitality that had nothing to do with the food.
One of our new café team members, a dishwasher named Luis, had just joined our company. It was his first week, and he was nervous, unsure of where he fit in or if anyone even noticed him. That morning, before service started, I watched one of our chefs pull him aside and say, “You’re the most important part of this kitchen today. If you stop, we all stop. We’re glad you’re here.”
It was simple. Unscripted. But in that moment, I saw what real hospitality culture looks like. Not a slogan on the wall, but people making people feel like they belong.
That day, we served 1,200 guests. The food was incredible. But what stayed with me was Luis, how he stood a little taller, how his energy shifted, and how the team moved differently because someone reminded him he mattered.
That’s hospitality.
When people feel seen. When a culture of care is so strong. that it touches everyone, guest or not. That’s what I try to build everywhere I go.
Unreasonable Hospitality
Why I Obsess Over Unreasonable Hospitality (And how It continues to inspire the way I lead)
Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality isn’t just a book to me; it’s a blueprint, a mindset, and a mirror. It put language to new ways of believing: that hospitality isn’t about exceeding expectations, it’s about redefining what’s possible through care, creativity, and connection.
In the Business & Industry world, where speed, volume, and budgets can easily eclipse the guest experience, this philosophy is even more radical and even more necessary. What I took from Will’s book, and what I bring to my teams and clients every day, is this:
Hospitality is a Choice
- We don’t need unlimited resources to create unforgettable moments. We need intention. Whether it’s a line cook remembering someone’s favorite breakfast sandwich or a café team throwing a mini birthday surprise for a regular guest, hospitality is about choosing to care a little more than required.
Service is What You Do, Hospitality is How You Make People Feel.
- I’ve built systems to drive consistency and operational excellence. But Will’s book reminds me that excellence without heart can feel cold. That’s why I coach my teams not just on execution, but on emotional impact. Are we surprising people? Are we listening more than talking? Are we making them feel seen?
Culture Starts in the Kitchen.
- Hospitality isn’t just outward-facing. It starts behind the line. I believe that if your team feels respected, safe, and empowered, they’ll pass that energy to your guests. The emotional generosity Will talks about? It begins in how we greet each other in the morning, how we respond to mistakes, how we celebrate wins.
Hospitality Scales, If You Build for It.
- What I admire most is how Will and his team operationalized magic. In B&I, we might not be serving at Eleven Madison Park , but we’re serving thousands of people in environments that need warmth, connection, and delight. I believe we can build unreasonable hospitality into everyday service by designing for it, training for it, and rewarding it.
This book didn’t change my values; it sharpened and magnified them.
It gave me the language and the push to keep choosing hospitality, especially when it would be easier not to. And in a world where service can be standardized and automated, the human moments are what truly set winning teams apart.
I hope you read it and it speaks to you as much as it has to me.