Should You Hire Young People?

As he was building out the Eleven Madison Park team, Will Guidara wanted the best beverage service in his industry. 

Typically beverage services were run by the sommelier. They created the wine list, found hidden gems, and educated the staff. When it comes to cocktails, beers, and after-dinner coffee - forget about it. 

Guidara didn’t want to forget about it. 

Instead, he looked to his staff.

The kitchen runners - the job everyone started at - was full of young people. One guy was into beer, so Guidara let him make some beer choices. Another loved coffee, he earned responsibilities there. 

Things were rough.

There were financial, service, and traditional mistakes - screwups the traditional sommelier would never make. 

But in those mistakes were rewards. Eleven Madison Park became a great restaurant. It’s one of the best in New York City. It earned three Michelin Stars. 

Youthfulness contains a tradeoff. 

Inexperience means mistakes. There will be moments when I should have just done this myself. 

But there will also be exploration. There will be creativity. There will be moments of I never would have thought of. 

So, should you hire young people?

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