French Restaurant Gives Back Its Michelin Star

Le Lisita, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Nimes, France, has "given back" its one star and will soon transform into a brasserie. As the Telegraph reports, the chef Olivier Douet's decision was propelled by "the onerous demands" that come with such an accolade; once in the Michelin race, the costs for a restaurant and its customers are notably high. Said Douet, "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."

Douet is the latest in a group of European chefs — including Alain Senderens and Yves Camdeborde — to have renounced the star system to open decidedly less formal restaurants.

· French restaurant hands back Michelin star to bring in the diners [Telegraph]
· All Michelin Coverage on Eater [-E-]