French restaurant hands back Michelin star

A French chef has handed back his Michelin star in a bid to bring customers back into his restaurant after rising prices drove them away.

The Nîmes restaurant Le Lisita first gained its Michelin star in 2006. However, the high prices generated by the upkeep of better staff and ingredients required to maintain the rating made the locals stay away.

Following the crash of 2008, head chef Olivier Douet admitted that he was struggling to break even. His earlier plans to expand his restaurant on the back of his Michelin star also had to be abandoned.

Douet hopes that by returning to a more informal brasserie format he will bring the customers back and cut some of his costs.

He explained to French newspaper Le Parisien: “In a starred restaurant, there is one waiter for five to six people. With a brasserie, a waiter can look after twenty to thirty customers.”

Meanwhile, Bernard Boutboul, head of Gira conseil food consultants, said he was not surprised at such a move as there is: “An entire generation of young chefs in France opening restaurants that offer haute gastronomy in the plate but at far more affordable prices.”

Rupert Millar, 21.06.2011