Why a French restaurant voluntarily refused Michelin stars

The famous Michelin restaurant guide agreed to fulfill the request of the French restaurant to exclude it from the rating. Le Suquet restaurant has had three honorary stars for 18 years.

Restaurant owner Sebastian Bra shocked the restaurant world in September 2017 when he said he wanted to leave the famous rating. Bra said he didn't want to work under pressure from Michelin inspectors. This is the first situation of its kind when a restaurant voluntarily refuses stars. Basically, restaurants leave the rating when chefs retire or the concept of the institution changes.

The gastronomic Bible took this step after the statement of the Bra that even one unsuccessful dish can put its reputation at risk.

Currently, 27 French restaurants have a maximum three-star rating. Sebastian Bra's restaurant will no longer be in the 2018 ranking.

Sebastian Bra inherited a three-star restaurant from his father Michel Bra. The owner of Le Suquet accepted the fact that with the exit from the rating, he would lose all the stars and "maybe become less famous." The chef says he wants to start a new chapter in the history of the restaurant without competing for Michelin stars. He hopes that in the near future he will cook delicious dishes without thinking about whether the inspectors will like them.

Bra admitted that, like many chefs, he sometimes wondered about the fate of his colleague Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide in 2003. Rumor has it that he did it out of fear of losing the star.

In 2005, Alain Senderens closed his three-star restaurant Art Nouveau Paris because he was tired of the pursuit of perfectionism. Three years later, Olivier Rollinger closed a posh restaurant in Brittany, saying he wanted a quieter life. And Danish chef Rene Redzepi lost two stars won by his restaurant Noma last year. He closed the establishment in order to move it to another part of Copenhagen, saying that "we need to break the lock to build a new one."