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Comment by nwhatt | Hacker News Reader

Part of me wonders if he wants to be removed in protest, or if he wants to sort of exit with three stars, and not have to deal with being perceived as lower quality by losing a star.

I don’t speak French, but here’s the video announcing it: https://www.facebook.com/BrasOfficiel/videos/vb.190323656659...

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French speaker here. He's essentially saying: "At 46 years of age, I want to run my business the same as before (with thanks to Michelin for the acclaim they have afforded us) but without the pressure of the three stars."

Totally get it, and totally agree. The meaning I take from the video: "Let us do our best without worrying about being judged every second of every day." Must be exhausting to be in that situation.

Bravo!

My first inclination is "Why doesn't he just ignore Michelin" but then I realize that a poor ranking in Michelin could do real damage to his business beyond the segment of his guests that is aware of Michelin ratings.

Thanks for the translation by the way.

Pretty sure you can't have a "poor Michelin ranking". The restaurants that are judged poorly are not included in the listing at all.

Being stripped of a star sends a very strong signal that the restaurant/chef is in decline. It will certainly be harmful for their reputation and business.

thats not the point. for a three stars loosing a star is loosing money which means loosing quality, you can't afford to pay top notch cooks, they leave, you loose more quality, you have to lower your price, you buy cheaper products, you loose quality...

But instead, he wants to lose all three stars? There's undeniably something irrational about his request.

If he's willing to lose stars to get rid of the pressure, he can simply ignore the judges.

Because it would be much easier to ignore the pressure put by random and secret food inspections if those inspections don't even exist at all. To get and keep 3 stars over more than 10 years require to be overconscious, so even if he wants to ignore the ranking he might not be able to.

But he is cooks food that no-one eats, his business will still suffer also.

The thing that Michelin’s review process does, though, is it pushes very heavily towards “consistent excellence”. And if you’re charging well into 3 figures for a meal, that is a reasonable expectation. If the chef opened a place where he was willing to tolerate some dishes that didn’t quite work, timing that wasn’t perfect, etc, and you could eat for $50/head, I’d be willing to tolerate misses — after all, you can go there several times for the price of one go at a big prix fixe. But one go is all most guests will ever take at that 150/head meal, and at that price point, the flawless choreography and execution is part of the package.

"In the silence and solitude, one only hears the essential"

He basically says that he does not want the pressure to preserve his 3-stars status, has no grudge with the Michelin guide that he thanks, and wants to continue his little business without caring more about rating than about the "art de vivre" of his region.

Seems sincere to me. (french speaker here)

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