This Is What UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY Looks Like | A Bit of Optimism #Podcast

28 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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1:30

In this episode of the A Bit of Optimism podcast, the hosts recount a personal anecdote that illustrates the concept of "unreasonable hospitality." The story begins with a discussion of a Basque cheesecake from the Santa Monica restaurant Pajoli (also referred to as Pajolee), described as one of the top five desserts the speaker has ever tasted, yet normally unavailable off‑menu. While staying at the Waldorf Beverly Hills, the guest‑relations manager Abby leaves a note and delivers a slice of that exact cheesecake to the guest’s room, surprising him with a thoughtful, unexpected gesture. The hosts explore how Abby knew about the story—she had apparently heard it from a previous podcast episode featuring Phil Rosenthal—highlighting the power of storytelling, attentive listening, and the almost magical anticipation that defines "unreasonable hospitality." The conversation weaves humor, personal reflection, and a metaphor comparing the experience to a magician’s trick, underscoring the episode’s central theme that extraordinary hospitality stems from deep, proactive engagement with guests.

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So when I say Basque cheesecake, what does that mean to you?
Okay, so a while ago you came to visit LA. We were gonna go out for dinner and you said, do you want to do bang bang? And I said, what's bang bang? And what bang bang is, is you go to a different restaurant for each course. Yeah. We were planning where we should go for dessert.
Yes.
You said there's this restaurant called Pajoli in Santa Monica. Yes. And they have what you described as one of the top 5 desserts you've ever had in your life. Now, coming from the top restaurateur in the world. That's a bold statement right there. It means something. And you said, here's the problem. You can't order it. It's off the menu. They give you a slice if they like you. If you see somebody else getting one and you say, hey, can I have one? They say no. Let me text to see if they've got a slice. I know the chef. We had our slice of Basque cheesecake and it was easily one of the top 5 desserts I've ever had in my life. One of the greatest things ever. One of the greatest things ever. I've never told that story before.
I stayed at the Waldorf in Beverly Hills. I go up to the room and there's a really awesome note from the guest relations manager. Her name is Abby. She says, Will, welcome. Since you probably aren't going to make it to Santa Monica, we decided to bring a piece of Santa Monica to you. Check the fridge. I open the fridge and it's a piece of the Basque cheesecake from Pajolee. No, I would have like freaking out.
But how do they even know?
Well, so I crush it. I go to bed. I, the next morning, have a breakfast. On my way out, I'm about to leave, and I said, I need to see Abby. And she comes out. I was like, how? And she starts saying all this nice stuff about Unreasonable. I said, no, no, no, I don't care about any of that. How? You apparently told this story somewhere else.
I think I did it with Phil Rosenthal when he came on the podcast.
So she did a deep dive on me, somehow ended up listening to something you did that I wasn't even on. It's not even about you. And it's really cool when you write a book about an idea, it's almost like a magician having someone else do their own magic trick on them.