APMM SERIES: What Does a Four-Star Restaurant Have to Do With Local Government? Unreasonable Hospitality in Public Service

Two municipal managers introduced host Nancy to the same book: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. Chris Garges and Joe Hogarth (also Chief of Police) join her to unpack what a four-star Manhattan restaurant can teach local government. Through a municipal lens, they talk about the front of the house and the back of the house, how "toiling in obscurity" is part of our success, why imitating others is a bad idea, and what Joe calls the nobility of the work.This PCC Local Time podcast episode has been created in partnership with APMM - the Association of Pennsylvania Municipal Management.🎧 Full show notes and quotes at MuniSquare. Subscribe and get more content like this.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Opening: what can a restaurant teach local government? 00:02 How Joe and Chris found the book 00:05 Nancy’s restaurant story and the customer experience lens 00:07 Silos, roles, and balancing departments 00:09 Real teamwork across public works, police, and codes 00:11 Volunteer work and building connection across staff 00:13 Why stories matter in shaping culture 00:16 Purpose, community, and significance in public service 00:20 Chris on marathon mindset and mental toughness 00:22 Why collaboration meets resistance 00:23 Vulnerability and the myth of the all-knowing leader 00:26 Humility, learning, and asking better questions 00:27 Learn from others, but do not imitate blindly 00:29 Hierarchy, feedback, and speaking honestly 00:31 Hospitality as a daily dialogue 00:33 Younger employees and visible community impact 00:34 What leaders do with resistant employees 00:36 Encouraging people when the work never feels finished 00:38 One takeaway for managers 00:39 Nobility, purpose, and the meaning of service 00:41 Final story: when someone thanks an officer for arresting them