The Cost of a Star
The Michelin Guide
Course 1 · Chapter 5 · The Cost of a Star
A star brings customers and fame, and it brings costs: of staff, ingredients, premises and nerves. This chapter looks at the economics of a starred kitchen, at chefs who gave their stars back or went to law over them, and at the debate about the pressure the ratings put on chefs, including the deaths of two well-known chefs. That last part is a serious subject. It is handled briefly, from the public record, and without speculation about causes that nobody can know. Names, dates and figures are from general knowledge and flagged "check".
The Economics of a Starred Kitchen
The costs
A starred restaurant usually has a high ratio of staff to diners, expensive ingredients, careful service, a good wine cellar and well-furnished rooms. Many chefs say that the three-star level cannot be profitable from the dining room alone (check). Rent and wages in a large city add to the burden.
The benefits
A star raises bookings and prices, and attracts press, tourists and investors. Chefs' accounts and some studies suggest that gaining a first star can raise a restaurant's sales substantially, though figures vary and are hard to verify (check). A star can also bring consultancy, books, television, licensing and branded products.
The strategy
Many leading chefs responded by spreading their name: a flagship restaurant for prestige, and bistros, hotels, shops and licensed products for income. Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon built international groups on this model (check).
Handing Back the Stars
| Case (check each) | What happened |
|---|---|
| Alain Senderens, 2005 | The Paris chef, one of the pioneers of nouvelle cuisine (Chapter 4), announced that he was giving up the three stars of his restaurant Lucas Carton. He reopened it as a less formal restaurant under his own name, saying that the cost of three-star service was too high (check). |
| Marco Pierre White, 1999 | The British chef, who had won three stars in 1995, announced that he was giving up his stars and ending his career as a chef in the kitchen, saying that he was tired of being judged by people he did not respect (check). |
| Sébastien Bras, 2017 | The chef of Le Suquet in Laguiole, who held three stars, asked the guide to remove his restaurant from the next edition, saying that he wanted to cook without the pressure of keeping the stars (check). The guide agreed, and the restaurant was listed again later with fewer stars (check). |
| Marc Veyrat, 2019 and after | A well-known Alpine chef lost a star at one restaurant and took the guide to court, arguing that the decision was wrong. The courts decided in the guide's favour (check). |
The cases differ: Senderens and Bras chose to leave, White left the kitchen, and Veyrat challenged a downgrade. Together they show that a star is not only a prize but a commitment, and that chefs can decide the commitment is too heavy or the judgement unfair. They also show a limit of the system: the guide is a private judgement, and the courts have so far treated it as such.
Pressure and Two Deaths
- Bernard Loiseau. The chef of La Côte d'Or in Saulieu, in Burgundy, held three stars from 1991. He died in February 2003, weeks after a fall in his marks in a rival guide and press reports that he might lose a star (check). The press widely linked his death to the pressure of ratings and to the debts of the business. Michelin said that it had no plan to remove his stars, and the restaurant kept them until 2016 (check). The causes of a death like this are never simple, and no single cause can be named from outside.
- Benoît Violier. The Swiss-based chef of the restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville in Crissier died in January 2016, shortly after his restaurant was named first in a list of the world's best (check). The cause was reported as suicide, and no more needs to be said.
- The debate. After these deaths, chefs, journalists and doctors discussed the pressure of the star system, the long hours and the culture of the professional kitchen (Chapter 9). Some argue that the stars add to an already stressful job; others note that stress is common in the restaurant trade and that blaming a rating guide simplifies the story (check).
- The guide's position. Michelin has said that it feels a responsibility to the chefs it rates, and that the stars are meant for diners and are not an instrument of pressure (check).
Other Costs
- The staff. The brigade system is hierarchical and demanding, with long hours, and has been criticised for harsh treatment of junior cooks (Chapter 9).
- The price to diners. Tasting menus at three-star level cost many times the price of an ordinary meal, which shapes who can eat there (Chapter 9).
- Conformity. Some chefs and critics say that the pursuit of stars encourages restaurants to follow a recognisable style, with similar service, ingredients and decor, in order to meet what they think the inspectors want (check).
- Waste and supply. Perfect ingredients and consistency can mean waste and long supply chains, a point raised in the Green Star discussion (Chapter 8).
Exercises
List the costs and the benefits of a Michelin star to a restaurant owner, and say which are easier to measure and which are not.
Choose one chef who handed back or lost stars and write a balanced account that separates the documented facts, the chef's stated reasons and other people's interpretations.
Explain why the statement "Michelin stars drive chefs to despair" is hard to test and how a careful writer should handle it.
Quick Reference
- Economics: high costs, a valuable name, diversification into bistros and brands
- Cases: Senderens 2005, White 1999, Bras 2017, Veyrat's lawsuit (check)
- Method: keep to documented facts; do not name a single cause for a death
- Help: Samaritans 116 123 (UK); 3114 (France) (check)