The difference between Michelin stars then and now. Marco Pierre white ‘give them out like confetti’

[BigMC]

True. You often see restaurants gaining multiple stars within a year or two of opening.

[allthebanter]

Tbf. That’s less because Michelin have become soft touch and more because getting stars is the purpose of some restaurants now. Back then you opened a restaurant, served your food, maybe got a Michelin if you were good. Now people are hiring chefs to open their restaurants to secure the star, and then coasting on that star for ever whether the chef that earned it is still there or not

[bettylocks.]

The shade with "I thought I answered this early!" 😂😂😂

[danschofield]

I think the point about consistency is really interesting. There’s no real absolute definition of what good food is but the ability of a chef to understand the nuances and variations in their ingredients in order to produce a consistent result is a really good metric. It seems today like there is a lot of ‘innovation for the sake of innovation’.

[theForacle]

Touring a country & eating at top notch restaurants must be in the top 10 of 'best jobs ever'

[Walkerdlmb]

Do they dish them out like knorr stock pots?

[chinaman]

This is why i love MPW, he is totally right about Michelin restaurants nowadays vs back then.
I wasn't lucky enough to have tried true Michelin Starred restaurants from 2-3 decades ago as my family was too poor back then to be able to afford even regular meals.
but now that we can afford "michelin" food, it is everywhere. go to anywhere in Asia, especially in Thailand, you see so many "Michelin Star" or "Bib Gourmand" food stalls or restaurants. Like there are some that really deserves it, but some are just franchises and their food is the same as any other restaurant, just a few months ago when I was at Bangkok's airport, I had lunch at a restaurant called Luk Kaithong, they had a Michelin sign outside and it was on full display along with a lot of other news paper clippings of their fame. But their food was really expensive, and really just above average. If this was supposed to be "street" food it should not be priced as such, if it was meant to a really good restaurant, it would've tasted way better than above average. I don't hate it mind you, i just don't like it when you have a michelin star or sign or whatever and then charge ridiculous amount of money for standard food. Like you can get way better food on the streets of Thailand and get charged way less than what that restaurant would've charged you.
PS: they charge the same amount outside of the airport, I also visited another of their bangkok branch, but i did not try it, i just went and saw the menu.
I have visited so many asian countries and I will say, Singapore, Thailand and maybe Malaysia, has so many "Michelin Stars" or "Bib Gourmand" restaurants, that it really lost its purpose.

[mqureshi]

I can agree with this... I'm fortunate enough to live in Chicago where we have a fair number of Michelin starred restaurants, one of whom has been consistently sub-par, and yet maintain their star.

[experimentalme]

Let's not overlook the fact that, thanks to the internet and the abundance of cooking shows, more people are getting into cooking than ever before. This surge has greatly increased the number of talented chefs many of whom might not have known about or had the opportunity or confidence to pursue a culinary career in the past. As a result, there are now significantly more exceptional chefs, and the Michelin guide has a much larger pool of restaurants and chefs to consider than it did before.

[wakkawakkagaming]

It’s because Michelin stars became less about quality and more about marketing. The assessors, the owners, everyone involved knows one thing: stars equal money.

The more stars in the ecosystem, the more money in the restaurants, the more money for everyone involved.

It’s the same thing that happened to All Star votes in the NBA. They’re mostly used to debate contracts and increase earnings, but in both cases the designation means less than it used to.

[GhostofRhurValley]

Social media buzz is way to important these days .

[betci]

When you give back your Michelin stars, you’re allowed to criticise Michelin stars

[richardedwards]

One if Marco's comments that I particularly like is about the reason he sent his 3 start back to Michelin. He didn't like the fact that he "was being judged by people with less knowledge than you". I think it applies in lots of ways....

[shadowdawnl]

I thought i already answered that, guess I'll say it again 😂❤

[AlvinAu]

Marco is right there are a few 1 star places in Hong Kong and every local knows that those places are over hyped and are tourist traps. Its like they got an inspector who has no knowledge of chinese food and got him / her to just hand out stars just so chinese food is represented.

[stuartlawler]

Yea every single week in glasgow this happens...never heard of the place but now it has a star...

[Chainsawyou]

I've been at restaurants that have been great one night and horrid the next. Definitely agree with consistency being important.

[DancingLedge]

The good point about modern Michelin rating is that they have gone further afield into the world to try establishments and raise awareness of them
The flip side is that a lot of places are indeed coasting on managing to achieve a star from what seems to be a one off inspection

Lessens the trust you place in Michelin to assess these things

[atthemargin]

I had to laugh with "I thought i answered it earlier" 😅.

I'm a big fan of MPW

[leightcaine]

Corruption is a real thing money talks