Will Guidara

Why you should listen

Will Guidara is the founder of Thank You, a company that develops hospitality destinations and helps leaders across industries transform their approach to customer service. He’s the former coowner of Eleven Madison Park, which received numerous accolades under his leadership including four stars from the New York Times and three Michelin stars. In 2017, Eleven Madison Park was named number one on the World's 50 Best Restaurants’s list. Guidara is also the cofounder of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality conference.

A graduate of Cornell University, Guidara has coauthored four cookbooks, including Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook and I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes. He was featured on Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40 list and is a recipient of WSJ. Magazine’s Innovator Award.

In his 2022 book, Unreasonable Hospitality, Guidara shares lessons on service and leadership he’s learned over the course of his career in restaurants and makes the case that any business can choose to be in the hospitality industry by turning ordinary transactions into memorable experiences.