Have you heard “the hot dog story” about New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park? The high-end restaurant is as famous for its hospitality as it is for its food. The story goes that once, then-co-owner Will Guidara passed by a table and heard the guests talking about New York hot dogs. They wanted to try one before they left town, so he made it happen.
Someone on his team ducked out of the restaurant, bought a hot dog from a street vendor, gave it the five-star treatment, and delivered it to the table. The guests were blown away!
Guidara wrote a book about his time at Eleven Madison Park called “Unreasonable Hospitality.” It’s one of my favorite business books to draw from in my work at The FruitGuys, and I think the concept works in every industry when it comes to supporting employees.
Hospitality
HR leaders and office managers are constantly thinking about how to help employees feel welcome and at home so they can do their best work. That’s a kind of unreasonable hospitality that goes beyond fine dining. As Guidara says, “One of my favorite definitions of hospitality is that it’s about giving people a sense of belonging.”
So how can you apply this idea to your work environment? It’s pretty simple: Listen to your team, look for small things you can do to create exceptional experiences, and take advantage of those opportunities when they arise.
Giudara’s team was trained to listen for little cues about what would make a diner’s experience extraordinary (like the one that sent them running out to get a hot dog). This thoughtful method helped the people at his restaurant feel seen and heard, and you can do the same thing in your workplace.
Here’s an example. Imagine you’re walking through the office and overhear an employee talking about their favorite sports team. They love watching every game but have never attended one in person. You continue, but you surprise them the next day with a pair of tickets on their desk. That small gift shows that you were paying attention, that you were listening, and that you care. How impactful!
What Is Unreasonable Hospitality?
Unreasonable hospitality isn’t always about grand or expensive gestures (although it can be). It’s about intentionality, thoughtfulness, and creating emotional connections. There are dozens of ways to do this in the workplace. For you, it might mean celebrating an employee’s milestone with a personalized gift specific to them and their interests, or providing a unique experience.
One year, one of our employees at That FruitGuys had a twentieth work anniversary we wanted to celebrate. She was a tenured employee who liked to travel but rarely did. So we surprised her and a friend with a trip to New Orleans. We covered the travel costs and the hotel stay to give her an experience she may never have had on her own.
Unreasonable hospitality also could mean surprising your team with an unexpected perk, like a surprise lunch or a coffee run from a special local coffee shop. Ultimately, it’s all about listening to what matters to them and finding a way to act on it.
How to Use Unreasonable Hospitality
In my visits to The FruitGuys’ clients over the last few years, I’ve seen several of them use unreasonable hospitality as a return-to-office (RTO) strategy. One Chicago client said it straight out: “We are upping our game in hospitality.” Returning to the office is a significant shift for many employees, but the right gestures can entice the idea. Here are a few things I’ve seen in the field.
- Workspace upgrades: Employees feel more welcome in cozy spaces, so companies are buying premium furniture, creating comfortable lounges, rearranging desks, and upgrading break areas. These upgrades also inspire more collaboration and connection between staff.
- Enhanced benefits: Free coffee, fruit, and snacks are common, and as businesses return to the office, they’re leveling up those offerings. Some companies have added free meals a few days a week or upgraded to premium snacks and beverages. Businesses also are opening their offices to pets so employees can bring a little bit of home to work with them. Some even go big with in-office massages or yoga classes—benefits employees appreciate and don’t have at home.
- Engagement events: Events can help employees feel more connected to each other and make their time in the office even more valuable. I visited a client putting on a huge harvest festival with a pumpkin patch and fall food stations around the lawn this fall. However, events don’t have to be large to make employees feel appreciated. If a big bash isn’t a good fit for your business, try zeroing in on something specific to your team’s wants and needs that fits your budget.
I’ve seen companies host workshops on topics supporting employee development, such as managing workplace stress, or hobbies such as candle-making. Celebrating culturally significant holidays (such as spreading fresh citrus and hosting a tasting for the Lunar New Year) is another excellent way to make people feel seen, especially if you have a culturally diverse workforce.
Done right, unreasonable hospitality can come with real returns. Surveys show that employees who feel appreciated are more engaged, less likely to burn out, and less likely to quit. But as the hot dog story shows, these moments don’t just happen—they result from a culture that prioritizes people, connection, and joy. Whether you show it through a wine-tasting ticket or a Lunar New Year spread, “unreasonable hospitality” can transform a good employee experience into unforgettable.
This approach to RTO and business in general does take time and effort. But if Giudara’s team can deliver impactful moments during a meal, we can all find ways to do the same for the employees we work with 40 hours a week.
