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Headline“People die in the pursuit of excellence all the time” so is a Michelin Star worth it?

Short HeadlineIs a Michelin star worth it?

StandfirstWith the rise in social media, what role do Michelin stars play in London?

Is the Michelin juice worth the squeeze in London?

On the face of it, London has the second highest amount of Michelin starred restaurants in Europe, behind Paris. So, surely yes.

London gained ten new Michelin starred restaurants this year.
Seven London restaurants were taken out of the guide, however, with six being due to closure.

Dosa, at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair had been open for less than a year.

So, clearly gaining a star does not give restaurants immunity from the financial perils of owning a restaurant.

From the eyes of a chef

Jesse Dunford Wood owns a gastropub and a higher-end restaurant. With years of experience in Michelin starred restaurants, he’s highlighted this.

“Staffing percentages might be different, or the food costs might be different, but it doesn’t mean its necessarily better, it doesn’t mean it’s a more profitable business”.

Restaurants with accolades are “no more or less vulnerable” than those without.

“I think if you ask anyone in a restaurant out there, if they would rather have a money-making sustainable business or a Michelin Star – and they can go together but don’t always go together – I think everyone would choose the sustainable business”.

And yet, he says “people die in the pursuit of excellence all the time”. Why?

Speaking to the General Manager of Three-Michelin Starred The Ledbury, Jack Settle, he said it’s “financially a godsend”.

“It’s a hell of an amount of work and a hell of an amount of pressure, but financially, its hugely worth it. Bookings increased like you wouldn’t believe”.

There is an acknowledgement however, that getting a star creates a pressurised environment.

Settle said, “the first six months after we got the third star was tough” … “we did feel like people were there to sort of compare us a bit more”.

What role does social media have to play?

And this has a greater impact now with the rise of social media in the hospitality industry.

To some, Michelin was the social media before the Instagrams or Tiktoks. One singular place with an abundance of restaurants recommended by people deemed to have the knowledge to judge.

Settle said, “Michelin was the place to look”, and even with a dependency on some influencers, “certainly Michelin is still the top accolade”.

He does caveat it by saying that restaurant reviews have become a bit more “diluted” due to the range of places customers can get recommendations, with social media playing a key part in this.

Dunford Wood has said they have a more personal role. “Anyone can say whatever they like, but it’s whether or not you connect with them and think they know what they are talking about”.

Jesse Burgess, the man behind TopJaw, recently released an Apple TV show called; ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars”, produced by Gordon Ramsay.

Influencers are undoubtedly playing a heightened role in the restaurant scene.

And so too, do Michelin Stars. Restauranteurs have adapted to realise “they both cater to different audiences”.

So, some chefs will “die in the pursuit” of stars, while others will not have any aspirations for some. And yet both will be able to have sustainable businesses, even with the hospitality business “on a knife-edge”.