The Short Version
If Unreasonable Hospitality made you want to treat customers and colleagues better, here are six books to read next. Some are about hospitality, some about culture and leadership, and one is a wild ride through a restaurant kitchen.
Setting The Table
First, the book Guidara himself credits: Setting the Table by Danny Meyer, from two thousand six. Meyer founded Union Square Hospitality Group, where Guidara learned the trade, and this is where the idea of enlightened hospitality comes from.
If Unreasonable Hospitality is the student’s book, this is the teacher’s. Read it to see where the ideas started.
Kitchen Confidential
Second, for something completely different: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, from two thousand. It’s a raw, funny, profane look at what really happens behind the kitchen door.
It’s the perfect contrast to Guidara’s polished dining room, and it’ll make you appreciate how hard restaurant work really is.
Delivering Happiness
Third, Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, from twenty ten. Hsieh built the online shoe store Zappos around legendary customer service and a strong company culture.
It shows that unreasonable hospitality can work at scale, even over the phone and online.
The Culture Code
Fourth, The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle, from twenty eighteen. Coyle studied successful groups, from sports teams to special forces to restaurants, to find what makes them work together.
It gives research and structure to many of the culture ideas Guidara learned on the job.
Leaders Eat Last
Fifth, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, from twenty fourteen. Sinek’s imprint published Unreasonable Hospitality, and Guidara cites this book. Its core idea: great leaders make their teams feel safe, and that safety lets them do great work.
It’s a natural companion to Guidara’s lesson about treating your team like guests.
Radical Candor
And sixth, Radical Candor by Kim Scott, from twenty seventeen. It’s about caring personally while challenging directly, giving honest feedback without being a jerk.
It fills a gap in Unreasonable Hospitality, which is more about generosity than about hard conversations.
How To Choose
Quick guide. Want the origin? Setting the Table. Want the kitchen’s side? Kitchen Confidential. Want customer service at scale? Delivering Happiness. Want culture? The Culture Code. Want leadership? Leaders Eat Last. Want feedback? Radical Candor.
Your Turn
Which business book changed how you work? Tell me in the comments. My summary and review of Unreasonable Hospitality are linked below.
