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A
A couple flew to New York to eat at one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. And the most memorable thing they were served was a hot dog. During their meal, the staff overheard the couple talking about how they wished they'd had time to grab a famous New York street hot dog before leaving the city. So the staff ran out, bought one from the street vendor, plated it like a fine dining course, and surprised them with it at the table. That restaurant was eleven Madison park, which became famous for creating unforgettable moments for their guests. And in this episode, I'm joined by the man behind those moments, restaurant owner and hospitality expert, my good friend Will Guidera. We're breaking down how to create a customer experience so good people can't help but but talk about it. Because whether you run a restaurant or a plumbing company, how you treat people means the difference between building loyal customers who come back and refer their friends or the ones who go straight to your competitor instead. Let's get to it.
B
You know, Will, I want to ask you, you know, you've been to our events, you're coming to our summit event
C
May 17 through 20, which I'm so excited for it.
A
Returning of Best of Speed from the past, one of the top rated.
B
That's right, that's right. Always keep us on our toes around hospitality too, when you show up on site. We're always on our toes, Dave. But it's a little something extra when you show up. And I was thinking we've had you before, listened to your talks and watched your videos. This whole thing kind of origin story starts with this hot dog. And it really seemed like it sparked this whole strategy for taking care of people. How have you seen that play out across industries? Because for entree leadership, you know, we've got contractors and dentists and people fixing computers and fixing hair. Like, how does that work across all industries?
C
You know, it's been the thing about the last few years since my book came out, which I expected to happen a little bit, but not nearly to the extent that it has, which is that I've seen companies across truly every industry embrace the spirit of unreasonable hospitality, whether it's finance or professional sports teams or insurance and car washes and literally everything in between. All people who I think just recognize that if you are in the business of serving other people, you can make the choice to be in hospitality. Now, the hot dog story is kind of the one that has really gained traction and that centers around this idea of creating these kind of extraordinary one off experiences for people where I Get the most excited is where I see companies. And this is kind of what I'm going to get into more on stage. Recognize that hospitality is not just about hiring really friendly people, but that it's a system that you can install that in the same way that we create systems to ensure profitability, we can create systems to ensure hospitality. And I've seen some pretty cool examples of that in some pretty disparate industries.
B
Well, we got a very different industry. And this, you know, it's something that you have wired into our company from the get go. But it seems like you and will kind of hit it off because you're like minded in that regard. How have you taken that, Dave, and put it into our company over the years?
A
You know, I think it's what he said. It's intentionality. You have to say, okay, so if you're happy, notify your face, you know, and tell the people that work here that, hello. And if you're not happy and you're here, what do we got? We got another problem. Let's deal with that one. Okay, so, you know, we had a guy touring the other day from Chicago. He was cool dude coming through the place, and he's like, I've never seen anything like this. These people are so happy and they're all working really hard. And he goes, I've never seen a place like this. And he said, how do you do that? I said, we get rid of the other ones. We get rid of the other ones. We want to hang out with people, they're having a good time, and then that bleeds over to the customer and then catch somebody doing something, right? If they do the surprise and delight thing, the over the top thing, then make a big deal about it and everybody else sees, oh, that's a big deal. I may want to do that sometime. And you create replication of the same kind of mentality then.
C
But even today, when I got here, like you talk about systems that ensure a consistent level of hospitality, that's not just for the people you're serving, it's for the people you work with. And I was back there and I saw all of the team members walking
B
on the hill, the migration coming down
C
the hill after the Monday morning meeting. And that is a system to ensure that a culture you believe in is preserved. Same thing with the Wednesday Devotional. Like a lot of people want this stuff, but they refuse to implement the systems that ensure those cultures will exist consistently. And I've learned a lot from watching how y' all do things.
B
Are you, when you See that? Are you thinking that hospitality and customer service are two different things? I've heard you talk a little bit about that. Are they one and the same? Is that just different words or is it a different level?
C
I think they're different, so. And I think too many people conflate service and hospitality to be one of the same. Good service is just doing the thing that you said you were going to do. In the world of restaurants, everyone can relate to that. It's getting the right plate to the right person within the right amount of time. Hospitality is the extent to which you and I have a connection. At the end of that experience, it's how I make you feel, a sense of belonging. Do you feel seen as a human being in that hospitality? It's stickier. It's the kind of thing you actually hold onto. Service is just fulfilling the base level obligation you make to the people when you decide to go into business.
A
It's sad, but customer service sometimes is so rare that it comes off as hospitality. It still surprises and delights. Because our bar is so low on our expectations when we're consuming something or dealing with another company. I know we had a printer one time, he goes, well, it's always late, it's printing. And I'm like, what, you're fired? I mean, you know, no, we'll get another one. I get another guy who says he's always on time. Let's start there and then we'll talk about whether we're going to hang out and be buddies, you know. But yeah, if you got that baseline, though, of you're delivering on time, on budget and with efficiency, then you add to that the quality of the human connection, and then that's the surprise and delight.
C
It's one of the things that actually that I get concerned about with some people in my book is they skip the level of just providing good service and they try to jump to hospitality.
A
But, oh, yeah, like, we hang out together, but you suck at your job. Yeah, no, no, no, thank you. That's not the plan.
C
It'd be like if I ordered a new bicycle and with like a portrait of my kids or something, but there were no petals in the box. Now the portrait of my kids is annoying to me.
B
Right.
C
Do you know what I mean? Like, get the basics right and then build hospitality on top of that.
B
So it sounds like there's just a level of intentionality. But I'm curious because it sounds so obvious when y' all say this. Why do people get it wrong?
A
I don't know. I Mean, why is it that when we read the stories of what Will has done and you go, oh, that's amazing, you know, why is it amazing? You're right. I mean, it should be like. But I mean, Zappo's kind of made a brand on this, right? It's like surprise and delight. So whatever happened, we're gonna make it good and then some, you know, and just blow the customer's mind, blow, give them a wow moment. Right. But I think we're just working so hard to get the team to just deliver the goods, then to put something else on top and ask for more. But if you can get that baseline going with your quality hiring and firing and systems on just customer service, just the delivery systems, then you can start to say, okay, now I'm going to also expect this because it's who we are and then we get to set ourselves apart from all the competition.
C
I think it also just requires having the ability to see success over the long term. Once upon a time, some economist uttered the words, what gets measured, gets managed. And it was great in many ways, encouraging people to look at their investment of time, energy, resources in a way that, hey, if you can measure a return, then go all in on that. The thing about hospitality, it's harder to calculate a short term return on that investment. And for that reason, a lot of people don't invest in it. But those that don't, I would argue, are being financially reckless. They're focused so much on today dollars, they're not nearly focused enough on tomorrow dollars. Because the reality is this, through hospitality you are investing in relationships. They take a long time to build. The loyalty you earn takes a long time to erode. And I would argue that's one of the greatest investments any company can make.
A
And it is a long term investment. There's no short term return on it. Yeah, it takes a while for the lady who got the hot dog to go out on the highways and byways and tell that story to enough people that it results in someone coming into the restaurant to see if that was real, you know, and that didn't happen tomorrow, didn't happen next week, and you know, all the 1 degree of separations in her life and it might be over a 10 year period of time. What's the consumer value or the permanent value of that one hot dog? Oh, it's huge. But it's hard to measure and it's never short term. Yeah, yeah, you kind of gotta just say, it's who we are, it's what.
C
Right.
A
Looks like it's who we are. And just because it's who we are, we're gonna do it. And then you get. The next thing is you cash checks.
C
But it's a lot easier just to take that same amount of energy, whatever resource goes into it and say, I'm gonna invest it in Facebook ads. And you can calculate very quickly social media impressions or whatever. And then you check a box and you've done your job and you move on.
B
When you guys are talking about how long, you know, how it's long term, I'm thinking about how many times I've heard you stand on stage and say, we exist for the people outside these walls. And in fact, I don't know if you've seen it coming out of our other entrance that our guests don't normally come out of. There's a big sign there for team members that says somebody's life is going to be changed because you came to work today.
C
I've never been allowed to go out that maybe we can make an exception. But listen, I'm investing. Eventually there is going to be a return. You know,
B
can you talk a little more about the systems? I love that. This has got to be something that's repeatable, right? It's got to be something.
C
Yeah.
B
Because one, I mean, I understand the difference you're making between customer service and hospitality. But like I think you're saying, one cold dish will ruin a reputation at a restaurant. One bad customer interaction can really cause a ding on a reputation.
C
Well, not necessarily. Okay, and I'll answer your first question in a moment. But there's all this data. If you come into my business, you have a good time, you're gonna talk about it this much, you come into my business, you have a bad time, you're gonna talk about it this much, you come into my business, you have a bad time, and I do whatever it takes to turn it around, you're gonna talk about it this much. This the thing you need to do to turn it around. That is hospitality. One bad dish is an opportunity. You could almost make the case that there should be a business that intentionally messes up with every single customer that walks through their doors just so that they have the opportunity for repair. It's not the mistake that defines you. It's whether you've created a culture of people that are willing to do whatever it takes to make that mistake. Right. I actually think that most businesses overspend on marketing and underspend on customer recovery.
B
Do you remember when you only worked 40 hours a week? Now that you're in leadership. You do that by Wednesday afternoon. Look, you want to be part of something meaningful. I get it. You want to make an impact and still have a life. But as your company grows, your calendar fills up, meetings stack on top of each other and you're doing more work that doesn't require your expertise. You don't have time to lead anymore. That's where Belay comes in. Belay matches you with qualified US based executive assistants, marketing assistants, and accounting professionals. Real people who can help you protect your time. So you can delegate what doesn't require your leadership and focus on the work only you can do. Because growth doesn't come from doing more. It comes from doing what matters most. If you're ready to build a business that runs without running you into the ground, download Belay's free resource, the 40 hour CEO work week planning guide by texting. Entre to 55123. That's entre to 55123.
C
You talk about systems. Hospitality is a team sport. Dave knows this better than anyone. You need to do the things internally such that it spills out to those externally. And I'll circle back again to this morning meeting. A lot of companies have these daily huddles, but they focus them entirely on communication and training. Communication and training are very important, but training in the absence of inspiration is insufficient. It doesn't matter how well people know how to do the job. If they're not inspired to want to do it well, they're never going to be their most fully realized selves. And so just investing time and understanding that as a leader, your responsibility is to inspire your team. That is one of the most impactful ways to systemize a culture of hospitality.
B
And once in enough, like I was talking about Dave saying it over and over and over again, we tell folks in entree leadership, when you get to the point where you are just sick of hearing yourself say it. Yeah, you're just starting to say it.
C
Then it might start to bleed into the culture.
A
They might have heard it. Now when you know they heard it, it's when they start making fun of you for having to say anything like they're mocking you. Then that's perfect. Now we know we got there.
B
We would never do that.
C
No, no. Repetition is everything. And by the way, when you repeat something that many times, it's a very clear signal to the people on your team. This matters to me and it needs to matter to you as well.
B
Yeah. You know, as I sang Dreamweaver as I drove into work today, I Didn't really. You don't want to hear me sing?
A
Oh, please.
B
I'm thinking it's.
A
I need to repair right now.
C
By the way, I did a talk on the Grand Ole Opry stage to a fitness company, and I'm standing in the sacred circle, and I get to a part of the talk where I'm talking about Dreamweaver, and I was like, hey, all, sorry. I'm singing Dreamweaver right now. Cause I'm not sure if I'm ever standing in this circle again. And I will perform in the sacred circle right now. So I apologize if you are watching. Those of you who had to listen to me, I'm sorry for that. But that was for me, not for you.
B
You seized the mom.
C
Seize the moment.
B
I think about that and how you had that role on your team. Some of the stuff you did was pretty over the top. I mean, you making a beach scene in a restaurant with a ton of sand. Yeah, I'm thinking about the folks that are watching this, and, you know, like I said, they're running maybe a small construction company. They got a team that they're. You know, they're just a little ways down the road. They're not running the number one restaurant in the world like you were. Does it have to be expensive? And if you. And if not, then how do you solve for that?
C
Okay, I mean, listen, every single CEO I meet says they want better hospitality. And yet, while all of them are more than willing to invest whatever is required to make the product or service better, they're reticent to do the same when it comes to how they make people feel. And yet, how you make people feel is the thing they will remember more than anything about your product or service. So, yes, you need to invest in it, but it's never about how much you spend. It's about how thoughtful you are. I mean, some of the most connective and impactful things that have happened for me didn't cost a lot at all. It's just indicative that they've created a culture where they're willing to invest resource into it. Because here's the reality. Nothing will ever take root in the absence of resource. But resource is not just money. It's time. It's thoughtfulness. It's whatever it is. And so, yeah, if you're a small company and you're trying to grow, you better invest in this.
A
I think, in the trades, you know, the construction world, heat and air guy, or even your veterinarians or your dentists or anything out there that the Bar is so low on this that if you start doing anything, you're like, head and shoulders above anybody else in that world. And so if you're, you know, if you're. If you're doing. If you're installing heat and air in new houses, well, the builder is the customer. Then the customer that buys the house is the customer if it doesn't work after they move in. And so how quick you break your butt and get over there as soon as something isn't right and it's right instantaneously is just completely different than, oh, you know, you're dealing with Eeyore shows up to fix your stuff with mud on their boots. I mean, come on, man. This is not rocket surgery. But you have to show freaking up.
C
You know, someone the other day was saying some of the best, like, I have a story of unreasonable hospitality. And I hear this a lot. And I was like, what is it? He goes, I was on a flight, we were delayed. The captain pilot said, I'm gonna give you an update in 10 minutes. And he gave us an update in eight minutes. After that first update, he goes, I'm gonna give you another update in 10 minutes. Still eight minutes later, he gave an update. Like, that is hospitality. It's saying, I'm going to give you an update. And then exceeding expectations and just continuing to inform people such that you're giving them the answer before they have to ask the question. That costs nothing.
A
It just requires deputize the team to blow people's minds. Give them a budget and give them permission, give them incentive, give them recognition and affirmation when it happens. That's the system. You know, you just. What is it? You do that with sales? If we want to increase sales. Right. You know, we incentivize you if you win, you know, hello.
C
And by the way, it makes the work more fun for the people on your team.
B
Yeah.
A
Because it's all outside the lines.
C
Yeah.
A
So what'd you do about that? Well, what'd you do today? Same old thing, you know. No, this is never the same old thing. This is 100% something new every time you do it.
C
And I have yet to meet a single person that won't give more of themselves to help something succeed than once they have even the smallest hand in creatively contributing to what that thing is. This is an opportunity to empower your team to be more creative.
B
Okay. I want to. I think that's really important thing. Let's camp out there for just a second. What you're saying is, as team members if they have a hand in deciding how the customer gets served and how to wow the customer, that changes the world for the team member. Is that right?
C
That's exactly right.
B
And I would say, Dave, over the years, what I've seen you do is get really intentional and careful about the people you pick to be a part of that team. Would you say that's a key part of your strategy?
A
Again, we always talk about have a self employed mentality. Don't mail it in.
B
Right.
C
Okay.
A
Whether or not you care deeply about the outcome matters more than your talent level, matters more than your resume. And so that's who you're selecting and sitting in the seats on the bus. And then that type of a person that cares deeply when you just go, hey, here's how a hot dog deal works. Boom, they go, oh, yeah, I'm in. Let's do that. Game on, man.
B
You know, that's the combination I was looking for is you get to the people with the right heart and then empower them. Give them some agency in the thing. You can set the world on fire.
C
I mean, use a restaurant. A waiter takes an order, puts it into the system. The plate comes up, they bring it to the table over and over and over again. Now you say, hey, if you learn something about them, you come up with a cool idea, just do it. Work becomes routine. When treasure hunt, when it's too much of a routine. Yeah, yeah. But like, hey, go in there, get creative, have fun, make people happy. Yeah. Also, I don't know about everyone, but for me, there is nothing more energizing than when I get to see the look on someone else's face when they receive a gift I'm responsible for giving them.
B
Yeah.
C
Creating a culture like this, you're giving your team the gift of making other people happy.
B
Yeah, we did that not too long ago. I don't remember how many years ago it was. You gave us the gift of being able to forgive a bunch of debt. You remember that? I'm sure you remember that.
A
Yeah.
B
Did you tell that story just real quick?
A
Well, we bought $10 million worth of bad debt. Medical debt, car repo debt, credit card debt. It was all bad debt. And you can buy it for less than a tenth of a percent. So we bought it 259,000 bucks. About $10 million worth.
C
Yes.
A
And we have 1,000 people, and there was 8,000 accounts. So each person for Christmas got to call eight people and tell them their debt was forgiven in Jesus name. And they had. People were screaming and yelling all through the Whole building for days. It was awesome. It was the most fun. We gotta do it again. Because it was the best.
C
Gave them the gift of giving people. They loved gifts.
B
Yeah.
C
That's amazing.
A
Yeah, that was a lot of fun.
B
It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun.
C
I love how you're like, do you remember that? He's like, that's a stupid question. Imagine, imagine $10 million. Imagine if he's like, I have no idea what you're talking about.
A
I forgot the $10 million. Nope, not at all.
C
Fair enough.
B
Stupid question. Okay, so last question. Not necessarily asking you to give away what you're going to talk about at Summit, but what would you want to leave folks with on this whole subject if you could just put a bow on it for us?
C
I mean, I'll give you a sense of what I'm going to get into at Summit, which is one of the things that people have gotten wrong about my book is what I opened this conversation with. Okay, let's hire really friendly people and do crazy over the top things for others. And that's a culture of hospitality. And I'm looking forward to this talk being a way for me to add some clarity to say, no, no, no. You can build systems and I'm going to give people actionable exercises that they can run with their team to systemize a culture of hospitality.
B
That's awesome. Yeah, I'm not going to miss that.
C
I'm going to be there. I look forward to that, man.
B
Thanks, Will.
C
Thank you so much.
B
Thanks, Dave.
A
Absolutely. Thanks for hanging out with us, my friend.
C
Yeah, thanks for having me.
A
And if you want to hear more from me and Will, we'll both be at our entree leadership Summit conference this May along with other world class speakers. Register with the link in the description to join us at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort. There's only a few spots left. It's going to be an incredible event and if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, share and subscribe for more real world leadership content. Thanks for watching. I'm your host, Dave Ramsey and this is entree leadership.
Date: April 20, 2026
Host: Dave Ramsey (Ramsey Network)
Guests: John Felkins (EntreLeadership Head Coach), Will Guidara (Restaurateur, Hospitality Expert)
This episode explores the transformative power of "unreasonable hospitality" for building lifelong client relationships. Dave Ramsey, John Felkins, and Will Guidara dive deep into strategies for designing unforgettable customer experiences—across all industries, not just hospitality—using intentional systems, empowered teams, and continuous investment in how businesses make people feel. Listeners get both principles and practical examples to help move beyond mere customer service and create true connections that turn one-time buyers into raving fans.
“That restaurant… became famous for creating unforgettable moments for their guests.”
“If you are in the business of serving other people, you can make the choice to be in hospitality.” (02:00)
Intentional Systems vs. One-Off Gestures
Internal Culture and External Experience
Defining the Difference
“At the end of that experience, it’s how I make you feel, a sense of belonging. Do you feel seen as a human being? That is hospitality. It’s stickier.” (05:25)
You Can't Skip Service for Hospitality
“Get the basics right and then build hospitality on top of that.” (07:04)
“Through hospitality you are investing in relationships… The loyalty you earn takes a long time to erode. And I would argue that's one of the greatest investments any company can make.” (08:09–09:04)
Turning Mistakes Into Opportunities
“You come into my business, have a bad time, and I do whatever it takes to turn it around, you're gonna talk about it [even] more.” (11:06)
Internal Team Meetings: Communicate & Inspire
“Training in the absence of inspiration is insufficient. It doesn’t matter how well people know how to do the job. If they're not inspired to want to do it well, they're never going to be their most fully realized selves.” (13:07)
The Importance of Repetition
Thoughtfulness Over Budget
“It's never about how much you spend. It's about how thoughtful you are.” (15:45)
Empowering the Team
Let Team Members Own the Experience
Hire for Heart, Not Just Talent
“It was awesome. It was the most fun. We gotta do it again. Because it was the best.” (21:17)
“You can build systems and I'm going to give people actionable exercises that they can run with their team to systemize a culture of hospitality.” (22:10)
Will Guidara, on systemic hospitality:
“Hospitality is not just about hiring really friendly people, but that it's a system that you can install…” (02:44)
On long-term investment (Will):
“Through hospitality you are investing in relationships… The loyalty you earn takes a long time to erode.” (08:09)
On empowerment (Dave):
“Deputize the team to blow people's minds. Give them a budget and give them permission, give them incentive, give them recognition…” (18:11)
Culture and hiring (Dave):
“Whether or not you care deeply about the outcome matters more than your talent level…” (19:41)
On the joy of hospitality (Will):
“There is nothing more energizing than when I get to see the look on someone else's face when they receive a gift I'm responsible for giving them.” (20:36)
Team empowerment story (Dave):
“Each person for Christmas got to call eight people and tell them their debt was forgiven in Jesus name… It was the most fun. We gotta do it again.” (21:16)
For further insights and actionable frameworks, tune into the full episode or attend the upcoming EntreLeadership Summit.