Chef Unhappy With Michelin Rankings for Surprising Reason

Sebastien Bras is a world-renowned chef who stunned the culinary world when he asked the Michelin Guide to keep him and his Le Suquet restaurant out of its pages. The folks at Michelin granted the first-of-its-kind request, and there was no sign of Le Suquet in the 2018 guide—even though the restaurant had earned the highest possible three-star rating for several years in a row. Now, the new 2019 guide for France is out, and Bras is unhappy to see that Le Suquet is once again in the book, reports France24. It's not clear whether Michelin forgot about the earlier request or decided to ignore it.

"This contradictory decision has left us with doubts, even if in any case we no longer worry about either the stars or the strategies of the guide," says Bras. "I made my position clear last year and I still feel the same still, and more than ever, enjoying the confidence of our clients." Bras wants no part of Michelin because he says the intense pressure involved with maintaining the ranking—never knowing if a secret inspection is taking place—takes the joy out of his work. In any case, the Michelin critics demoted his restaurant from three to two stars, which Munchies sees as a "solid troll job." (More Michelin Guide stories.)