The Power of Being Unreasonable

Explicit content warning

10/27/22 • 65 min

2 Listeners

Dave calls up Will Guidara, the front-of-house half of the partnership that took Eleven Madison Park to the top of the hospitality stratosphere, to talk about Will’s new book (‘Unreasonable Hospitality’), how he reshaped EMP, and what the next generation of cutting-edge restaurants might look like. Also: coffee that tastes like soup, instant-ramen ratios, oomori servings, the fruit-medley gambit, macaroni ephemerality, waiting for grunge in the disco age, Jasper Johns, Danny Meyer, Bill Belichick, going hard in the paint, the Dreamweaver, rolling out the Budweiser cart, exceeding your mentors, Sean Brock, a croissant parable, and changing before you have to change.

Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying

Guest: Will Guidara

Producer: Sasha Ashall

Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor

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Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying

Guest: Will Guidara

Producer: Sasha Ashall

Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

When Fear of the Unknown Meets the Need to Change Your Life

With the do-or-die plans for MDM’s next phase finally in motion, Dave, Chris, and Noelle sit down for a soul-baring state of the union. They discuss how Dave thinks about big swings in the face of existential risks, in restaurants, and everywhere else. Also: the coming XLB strain, Dave building his ark, restaurant problem-solving vs. real-life problem-solving, Rob Dyrdek, the one-basket strategy, “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” what gives restaurants a pulse, enjoying the moment when you have a deprivation mentality, throwing your phone in the trash can, billionaire indicators, and the crucial importance of an uncompromising vibe.

Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying

Guest: Noelle Cornelio

Producer: Sasha Ashall

Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Cory McConnell

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Next Episode

Dave Chang Predicts the Future (of Restaurants)

1 Recommendations

He’s been right (and wrong!) many times before, and now Dave’s stepping up to the crystal ball once again. What sort of strategies, service styles, and so-stupid-they’re-smart concepts will restaurants reinvent themselves around in the years to come? Tune in for the blizzard of predictions, and consider stealing an idea or two to make the prophecy come true. Discussed along the way: invite-only restaurants, the end of food photography, Dave’s Korean-BBQ buffet, the point-forward model, convergent evolution, the sushi-bro scourge, eating good food while you’re watching Tiesto, Charlie Chaplin, the dinner at the beginning of 'Goodfellas,' the 'Memento' approach to dating, the zhug moment, beef wellington, Oriental Garden, and throwing down the live-cooking gauntlet.

Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying

Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris

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