How This NYC Restaurant Returned Coats Without Tags—And Blew Customers’ Minds

In Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara shares an interesting practice from his time at Eleven Madison Park: the “no-tag coat check.”

At most restaurants, guests receive a ticket to claim their coat at the end of the meal.

Guidara wanted to eliminate the impersonal process.

Instead, the team at Eleven Madison Park would memorize which coat belonged to each guest.

Consider this: given the short duration of the meeting and retrieval of a patron’s coat.

It’s impressive.

When the guests finished their meal, their coats were ready at the door, creating a memorable interaction without a ticket.

This was part of Guidara’s philosophy of exceeding expectations and creating magical, personalized experiences.​

“Service is about efficiency, but hospitality is about making someone feel like they belong.” — Mike Brewer

Sources: Shortform, Mack’s Book Notes