LAS VEGAS – Celebrity chefs, expert mixologists, food suppliers, and even DJs lined the show floor at the 2025 iteration of the Bar & Restaurant Expo.
Hosted this week at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the three-day event included live cooking demonstrations, information sessions, and countless samples of beverages and food designed to meet the needs of bars and restaurants across the country.
Providing ‘Unreasonable’ Hospitality
Will Guidara is a man with many accolades and titles. Former co-owner and manager of Eleven Madison Park; author of Unreasonable Hospitality; keynote speaker; co-owner of Make It Nice Hospitality Group; and writer and producer for hit television show “The Bear” on FX.
In a keynote address hosted by Tim McLucas, vice president of the hospitality group at Questex, Guidara shared anecdotes about delivering authentic moments for diners at the restaurant. In one anecdote, he told of a solution to not rushing customers out by filling a small glass of cognac for each guest, and leaving both the remainder of the bottle and the check at the table.
“No one ever had to wait for the check again. Second, no one could ever think we were trying to rush them out. … And yet, at the moment where we dropped off a big check, we matched it with a gesture of profound generosity, keeping the value proposition intact.”
Other similar examples included providing Tiffany & Co. glasses as a parting gift to those who got engaged at the restaurant, and a story that inspired a scene in “The Bear” where they provided European travelers with a “New York City dirty water dog” after overhearing they had not had one yet.
Growing and Cultivating Creativity in a Staff
Guidara noted that he tried to cultivate creativity in his staff to help them feel as if they were a key element of the team. He also talked about tension in the workplace, and how changing the tone of arguments was a key way of resolving tension among co-workers.
Finding a third option was also a successful strategy when two co-workers could not agree on competing ideas.
Kayla Robison, chef and owner of Cincinnati-based Commander N Beef LLC, shared how she trained up staff from dishwashers to line cooks, and how a number of her employees had moved on to open their own restaurants because she spent the time to train them up.
Making Money by Being Authentic
In a panel discussion, Chef Brian Duffy, owner of the Duffified Hospitality Group, said that independent and small restauranteurs needed to demand higher-quality and more interesting ingredients and supplies from distributors across the nation.
Duffy asked the panel he hosted about whether purveyors provided inspiration for their menus, and the panel said they did not receive those inspirational products and ideas from their purveyors.
“I’ve never relied on a purveyor … the real creativity is coming from myself and my team,” said Chef Nick Liberato, co-founder and COO of Jewish, non-kosher deli The Borscht Belt.
The Food Institute Podcast
Tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and inflation are all weighing on the food and beverage industry and consumers alike, but what can industry leaders do to persevere amid uncertainty? Lou Biscotti from CBIZ’s Food and Beverages Services Group shares his insights on The Food Institute Podcast.
