The Michelin curse: European restaurants refuse to give themselves stars

In the past, having a name included in the Michelin Guide, a global gourmet rating guide, was considered an honor for many restaurants, but now the meaning of this is gradually fading, according to foreign media.
According to the British daily newspaper The Guardian on the 21st (local time), the restaurant Giglio in Lucca, Italy, submitted a review to Michelin in October last year.
The restaurant's co-owner, Benedetto Rullo, said the pressure of the Michelin star was too great.
Customers who hear about the restaurant expect elaborate cuisine and a classy atmosphere, but he says, "You should be able to go to a fine dining restaurant in a T-shirt, sandals and shorts."
This isn't the only restaurant to reject a Michelin star. French chef Marc Vera recently opened a new restaurant in the ski resort of Megève, France.
The Michelin star was once the highest honor in the restaurant business, but now it must be maintained.
The Guardian reports that the pressure to meet customer expectations and the resulting lack of quality can sometimes lead to them deviating from their original goals.
In fact, in 2011, Skye Gyngell, a chef who ran the restaurant Petersham Nursery in London, England,
"The Michelin star was a curse," she said. After her restaurant was listed in Michelin, she found herself getting busier and more demanding in fine dining, which was far from her style.
The number of customers has increased, and they are struggling to deal with the situation. Michelin is also trying to change to meet the needs of the new generation of customers, and has introduced the "Green Star" award, which evaluates whether a restaurant practices "sustainable gastronomy."
But it was not enough to make up for the loss of revenue caused by sluggish guidebook sales.
As a result, Michelin changed its business model between 2016 and 2018.
Food critic Andy Hayler said, "Because no one buys paper guidebooks anymore, they started receiving funding from tourism agencies in Korea, the U.S., China, and other countries."
"It's highly unlikely that Europa would take millions of dollars from the tourism board and then say, 'Sorry, all the restaurants are awful so we can't give you any stars.'"
Michelin responded to the Guardian by saying: "The process for selecting restaurants and awarding stars is working properly. The sponsorship team and the rating team are run separately.
"It is being supported by the government," he commented.