For many restauranteurs, a Michelin star is the highest honor they can receive. Gordon Ramsay's restaurants have earned a whopping 16 Michelin stars over the years, but that doesn't mean he has held onto all of them. If a restaurant's quality is not consistent, Michelin doesn't have a problem revoking their precious stars, and this has happened to Ramsay nine times, including one particularly brutal case where Michelin revoked two stars at the same time. Does Ramsay take it in stride, or does he launch into one of his famous tirades? Let's take a look at the real reason why Gordon Ramsay lost his Michelin stars.
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00:00Gordon Ramsay is an acclaimed chef who has plenty to be proud of.
00:04He's established quite the reputation for himself over the years and is regarded as
00:08a distinguished name in the field. Ramsay originally hoped to become a professional
00:13soccer player, but changed his mind after sustaining an injury. He then studied hotel
00:18management and worked with several respectable chefs, such as Albert Roux, Guy Savoie, and
00:24Marco Pierre White. Ramsay's hard work didn't go unnoticed for too long. Just three years
00:30after he started working at Aubergine in London, Ramsay managed to earn two Michelin stars for
00:35the restaurant. Since then, the acclaimed chef has only progressed and evolved further as a chef,
00:41earning several more Michelin stars over the course of his illustrious career.
00:46We recently won our two stars in Bordeaux. My dream is to take three stars to France,
00:51and I love competition.
00:54However, he hasn't always managed to hold onto those precious accolades. Gordon Ramsay has
00:59earned an impressive 16 Michelin stars throughout his tenure as a chef. Unfortunately, he's lost
01:05many of those and now only holds seven of them. To be clear, it's quite common for restaurants
01:11to lose those coveted Michelin stars. Still, Ramsay has found it hard to stomach his losses,
01:16once lamenting,
01:18"...I started crying when I lost my stars. It's a very emotional thing for any chef.
01:22It's like losing a girlfriend. You want her back."
01:25So why did Ramsay lose these stars in the first place? The reason is simple — his dishes weren't
01:30consistent. That said, Ramsay is still incredibly popular in the industry. For instance, his
01:36acclaimed eatery-restaurant Gordon Ramsay has been awarded three Michelin stars since 2001.
01:41Ramsay is also the first Scottish chef to win three Michelin stars. That's pretty impressive.
01:47In 2013, Ramsay suffered a major blow when his restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London in New
01:52York City, ended up losing both its Michelin stars. As per Eater, this had never happened
01:59before. No restaurant had ever lost two Michelin stars at once on account of quality concerns.
02:05However, things weren't as simple as they seemed. It's true that Ramsay was a crucial part of the
02:10restaurant when it first opened its doors in 2006. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin
02:15stars in just two years. By 2009, however, Ramsay was facing mounting financial obstacles,
02:21so he decided to make a sale. He subsequently handed the eatery over to The London Hotel.
02:26A representative for the hotel noted at the time,
02:29"...Gordon Ramsay is not involved in the day-to-day running of the restaurants or kitchens,
02:33as is a licensing agreement, but is in communication regarding updates and changes at the restaurant."
02:39That said, Ramsay's reputation took a definite hit after the restaurant lost two Michelin stars.
02:44As far as Michelin officials were concerned, Gordon Ramsay at The London simply didn't stay
02:50impressive in terms of quality and delivered lackluster meals. As Michelin guide director
02:55Michael Ellis explained,
02:57"...we've had issues with consistency, and consistency is a huge thing for us."
03:01In 2019, Ramsay expressed his displeasure for chefs who don't take their Michelin
03:06stars seriously and end up either giving them back to the organization or refuse to
03:10accept the honor in the first place. As far as Ramsay is concerned, it's a team effort,
03:14and everyone loses out if a chef decides to not accept the designation. Ramsay explained in an
03:20interview,
03:21"...whether it's an Emmy, an Oscar, a BAFTA, or a Michelin star, it's the icing on the cake,
03:26not just for the chef, but also for the staff who are equally as focused as the owner," he explained.
03:32Other chefs, such as Sebastian Brass, who let go of three Michelin stars,
03:36have mentioned that it's too much pressure for him and his team members to worry about.
03:41Another chef, Andre Chang, expressed that he didn't wish to be considered by Michelin star
03:46officials because he wished to experiment at his eatery in Taiwan without the added stress.
03:51Of course, Ramsay begs to differ and continues to take his Michelin stars very seriously.
03:56Ramsay also said that the Michelin stars are actually very useful for diners who
04:00can use it like a guide while picking restaurants to dine at.