We have known calmer Sundays among restaurateurs. After having already announced the loss of one star for the restaurant Paul Bocuse, near Lyon, the Michelin guide will unveil this Monday the list of star restaurants. The 130 chefs from Ile-de-France already distinguished oscillate between impatience and stress.
The great fear? Losing your prestigious badge, becoming a classic restaurant, leaving the club of stars. "There is clearly excitement and I do not think I am the only one in this case, admits Jérôme Crépatte, the manager of the restaurant Le Panoramique, in Rolleboise (Yvelines), starred in 2018. This distinction increases notoriety. But with us, it also boosted attendance at our hotel and our annex bistro. "
They watch out for atypical customers
In the kitchens of this establishment, which overlooks the Seine valley, a stone's throw from Normandy, the stress rests in particular on the shoulders of Gaëtan Perulli. The young 33-year-old succeeded Julien Razemon last November, who had won the restaurant's first star. The goal is to keep it.
"With Jérôme, we went to introduce ourselves to the Guide to remind them of this transition," he explains. There is a little tension, it should not be denied. Especially since it is a special moment for me: I have already worked in starred restaurants but on Monday, it could be my first as a chef. "
In recent months, and as in all French kitchens, waiters and cooks have been watching for atypical customers, spotting those who come to lunch alone or who spend a little too much time observing the plates. "Even if that doesn't change the rigor of our work, we sometimes have alerts saying to ourselves, Hey, he's an inspector!" Laughs one of them.
In this fairly closed club, there is another, even more select: that of the triplets. This means the nine Ile-de-France tables which display three macaroons. It is the elite of fine mouths, the pinnacle of chef's hat. And even with them, the wait was heavy, until Friday and the announcement, by Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin guides, that Boccuse would be the only three stars to be demoted.
Losing a star does not necessarily lead to frequentation
Head of the Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris VIIIe), Yannick Alléno, however admits to having thought about it every day ... But without dramatizing the event and without too much concern. "I know what comes out of my kitchen," he says. I have an exceptional production tool, incredible men and women, ultra pros. "
At the head of the 3-star hotel located near the Champs-Élysées, this star of the kitchen also knows the bad taste of demotion. “I happened to lose a star when I was at Drouant, and I know why. Too many customers, too much imprecision on the plate, ”admits the chef, who sees the red guide as“ absolute recognition of the work of the year ”.
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Be that as it may, may the “losers” of the year be reassured. The loss of the title does not systematically lead to frequentation. After letting go of his distinction last year, Aymeric Dreux, chef of the restaurant Le Bouche-à-oreille in Boutervilliers (Essonne) ensures that his table is regularly full. “If we get a star again one day, we will be very happy. But if it is not the case, it does not matter, “he philosophizes.
