Covid-19 is killing restaurants. So why is Michelin still obsessing about star ratings?

 CNN Food & Drink, Oct. 15, 2020

(CNN) — Walk into almost any fine dining kitchen and the chances are its chefs would say there's only one holy grail of achievement in their profession: to be awarded a Michelin star.

Since 1926 in France, and more recently around the world, these accolades have come to represent the pinnacle of cuisine and also helped raise the profile of French tire giant Michelin.

 

Although not every chef seeks to earn them for their restaurant -- some have famously refused and returned them -- it's undeniable that there's no more influential mark of success. 

 

But these are times of seismic upheaval for the global hospitality industry. Tens of thousands of restaurants are closing, hundreds of thousands of people have been put out of work. Livelihoods have been destroyed and dreams shattered.

 

And yet, this year, as ever, Michelin is continuing to award or remove stars and publish its exacting reviews of fine dining establishments. 

 

For some in the industry, that's a step too far for Michelin that will do little to enhance the dining guide in an age when many restaurant workers are becoming more vocal about what they say are the damaging pressures of trying to live up to such rigorous standards.

 

As the pandemic continues, Michelin's determination to carry on publishing could see the guide face its own reckoning with the coronavirus. 

 

As always, it's a polarizing debate, with passionate views on both sides.

 

In full: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/michelin-guides-covid-19/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Top+Stories%29