Will Guidara and Brian Canlis, two of America's most celebrated restaurateurs, explain how great hospitality works as a deliberate system built on relentless iteration. They show how creativity, intention, and generosity create moments that feel like magic, whether you're running a restaurant or building anything else.
People think it's a magic trick. It's not. It's a system that we've built. Too many people think they're done with something prematurely. Unless you've looked at the same thing over and over and over again and said, can it be better? Can it be more fun? Can it be more awesome? Then eventually you get there.
Will Guidara spent over a decade running Eleven Madison Park, the restaurant voted number one in the world, and he just released the field guide on it as well. Joining him on the episode is Brian Canlis, who ran the restaurant Canlis in Seattle for nearly two decades, one of the most respected fine dining institutions in the country.
The message of hospitality, how much it connects to industries all across the board, because essentially it's about treating humans with creativity and intention. Two things make this episode really special.
First, Will and Brian have been friends since college. You just feel it in the stories they tell and the chemistry they have and everything else. The second is they've actually never done a podcast episode together.
You will never see a newsletter or a post from us that's, "Hey, there are 5 seats left at this event. Buy now." It's not always about selling something.
It's not about, "Hey, come listen to us." It's so important to us that it gives more than it takes.
