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

In 2010, Guidara and Daniel were asked to run the restaurant of a newly redone hotel, The NoMad. Guidara brought over employees from EMP to staff the new restaurant and, in doing so, helped quickly establish the restaurant’s culture. At the same time, The NoMad gave Guidara and Daniel the opportunity to create a loud, fun atmosphere that offered a different vibe than Eleven Madison Park, while still maintaining a high level of service.

Even though The NoMad experienced success from the start, tensions grew at EMP. Guidara had not appointed anyone to be his successor, thinking that he could run both restaurants at the same time. In reality, he spent nearly all his time at The NoMad, neglecting Eleven Madison Park because he believed that the strong team and systems that were already in place there would allow the restaurant to keep running smoothly.

Eventually, employees confronted Guidara about his refusal to name a successor. One employee pointed out that even though Guidara talked a lot about having trust in his team, by not appointing a new GM, he was essentially telling the team that he didn’t trust any of them to run the restaurant in his place.