In the restaurant business, receiving a Michelin star used to be looked at as reaching the pinnacle of your profession.

Some still see it that way, but over the past few years, there has been a massive rise in the number of restaurants, and chefs, that aren’t all that keen on carrying that Michelin status with them.

We wrote about a number of returned stars last year, and it seems the trend is continuing, as the lustre of that recognition continues to lose its shine.

CNN makes mention of Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson, who closed his two-Michelin-starred eatery in December of last year, citing tiredness and plans to dedicate more time to family.

With 2020 culinary trends pointing to supper clubs and street food trucks as in vogue, the pressure of living up to the scrutiny that a Michelin star brings with it might not be worth the hassle:

Take South Korean chef Eo Yun-gwon, who sued Michelin for including his restaurant in the Guide, on the grounds that he’d told them not to. Eo told CNN Travel in 2019: “Michelin guide is a cruel system. It’s the cruelest test in the world. It forces the chefs to work around a year waiting for a test [and] they don’t know when it’s coming.”

…The restauranteurs who’ve turned their back on the Michelin route have spoken of their desire to focus on a better work life balance.

And with that doesn’t necessarily mean losing your fanbase or curbing your profit — particularly in the social media age, where visitors are perhaps as likely to head to an Instagram-famous eaterie as a restaurant recommended in the Michelin Guide.

The message from many chefs now is that Michelin star restaurants end up cooking for the star, rather than for the customer because it is the former that is the focus.

High-profile deaths like Anthony Bourdain have highlighted the stresses those working in the industry face, with 51% of London chefs saying they suffered from depression linked to being overworked in a 2017 survey.

A 2019 survey of British chefs found that 48% of respondents didn’t think enough was being done “to support their mental well-being”.

In response to chefs highlighting the added pressure a Michelin star brings with it, the Michelin Guide said that was never the intention:

“Running a successful restaurant is tough, and we absolutely appreciate that — so we have never encouraged chefs or restaurateurs to obsess over gaining or retaining Michelin stars,” Rebecca Burr, director of the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Northern Ireland, tells CNN Travel.

“It’s entirely up to them what sort of experience they want to give their customers and how they run their business.”

As CNN’s follow-up interviews with chefs who have returned their stars show, they tend to have few regrets.

The industry as a whole, Michelin star or not, remains incredibly cutthroat, especially here in South Africa.

Just remember that the next time you want to kick up a stink on social media about a sub-par dining experience. Those in the industry encourage you to speak with a manager or owner, if possible, about your experience, before you unleash your fury online.

[source:cnn]