Food Wars!: God's Tongue is no match for me.

Page 23

"I don't remember the exact number of one-star restaurants, but there are definitely more than 500."

"According to our headquarters' analysis, the number of star-rated restaurants in Japan has decreased in the past two years compared to previous years."

"but."

"Whether it's the number of three-star, two-star, or one-star restaurants."

"This country is second only to France!"

……

At the beginning of WGO's establishment.

Those executives typically start by scoring cities.

For example, Japan would definitely include Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc.

If we consider metropolitan areas, the combined population of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto is approximately 5957 million, almost equivalent to the entire population of France.

Moreover, these people are almost entirely high-quality urban residents.

In short, the higher the level of commercial development in large cities, the more intense the competition in the catering industry becomes, and the more restaurants there are.

Tokyo alone has approximately 160,000 restaurants, four times the number in Paris, where the WGO headquarters is located.

There are many restaurants.

There are enough high-quality restaurants.

Naturally, more restaurants will be selected for the WGO.

In addition, not all WGO-starred restaurants in Japan serve Japanese cuisine.

Of the 25 three-star restaurants, Japanese cuisine is the majority, but there are also 5 French restaurants and 2 Chinese restaurants.

If the scope is expanded to two-star and one-star restaurants, the proportion of French cuisine is increased to a level that even Annie finds unbelievable!

After all.

The powerful agglomeration effect of large cities.

It has always been able to attract famous chefs from abroad to open their own restaurants here.

In addition, the locals have diverse tastes and are able to accept these foreign food styles, so this situation is inevitable.

……

"This time, it was our oversight."

“The judging process in the neon region has always been second only to that in Paris, where the headquarters is located.”

“We only sent Rantabi over there. She is currently only a second-class executive officer, and her abilities and experience are still limited.”

"The fact that the review report has been delayed is also..."

"excusable!"

At this point, Managi sighed deeply and asked, "Then, what about Lin Xu?"

"Hey, what does that mean?"

Annie paused, wondering why he was being brought up again.

"What I mean is, where was the five-star hotel he used to run in America ranked?"

"Well... he had just opened his business at the time, so he wasn't within the scope of the review."

"However, he was invited to our WGO working meeting last month, so everyone already assumed that his strength was among the top 50 in the world."

After a moment's thought, Anne told the truth.

"Oh!"

After hearing this, Managi made up her mind completely.

"Notify Rantabi that headquarters has temporarily suspended all of her functions in the Japanese region, and her work will be taken over by Second-Class Executive Officer Lin Xu."

"what?"

Anne was speechless!

Chapter 28 Dilemma

Well known.

WGO's restaurant rating system is divided into five categories:

The first category is restaurants that are unknown, only slightly better than others in their category, and thus leave some impression.

Category 2.

Reaching the level that requires recommendation.

It has an exceptionally high standard for a budget restaurant.

Then there are one-star, two-star, and three-star categories, which are the three categories that can be fully recognized by WGO.

A one-star restaurant used to be considered "worth trying if it's on the way," but now the standard is "a higher standard than others in its category." A two-star restaurant is "worth going out of your way to eat."

The highest-level three-star restaurants are those that are "worth making a special trip to eat at".

To date, the WGO's evaluation criteria still have aspects that are subject to criticism.

But it has to be said.

Indeed, it has a certain scientific basis!

For someone in China who frequently takes the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed rail (1 hour) or drives for 2 hours, this can be understood as follows:

A one-star restaurant in Shanghai.

When going out for leisure, business trips, or meeting friends, you can prioritize choosing the nearest option.

Two stars, which means it's worth setting aside half a day to visit during a trip to Shanghai.

Three-star level.

Then you might as well make a special trip to Shanghai just for this store.

……

Then the problem comes again.

Why are so many chefs so enthusiastic about WGO star ratings?

It's simply because WGO has the greatest influence in the global food industry, with its annual food magazine "THE BOOK" selling hundreds of millions of copies!

Once a restaurant is awarded a star rating, it's like receiving free, world-class promotion.

Ah!

In an era where traffic is king.

How much would it cost to pay for an advertisement yourself?

Now that they're advertising for you for free, making you famous worldwide, why don't you value it?

Many people seem to think that WGO star-rated restaurants are all about high prices, good ingredients, good service, luxury, and high-end... But the reality is not entirely the same!

The price is high.

The dining requirements are complicated.

These particularly high-end restaurants are more likely to be kicked out.

Restaurants with high prices and too many rules are not conducive to attracting diners.

The most typical example is the "Sushi God," who was stripped of his star because he does not accept reservations from ordinary tourists and is therefore ineligible for the award.

A French restaurant previously had its star revoked because it required formal attire and its prices were too high.

Therefore, it is clear why professional chefs value WGO so much.

WGO does not operate restaurants, and their ratings are not subject to industry competition; they are purely recommendations for the food community.

For restaurants.

WGO ratings are relatively fair.

A publicity opportunity that doesn't involve personal relationships or require spending money.

……

"Ingredients!"

"Its natural flavor is the most important foundation of the dish."

"It is perfectly reasonable to insist on using the freshest and highest quality ingredients and to preserve the original flavor through simple cooking methods."

"However."

Everything has a balance.

"To pursue something too much and thus neglect the less noticeable details."

"A chef like that will naturally not be able to make good food in the end!"

After saying that, Rantabhi got up and paid the bill.

If good food plus a good dining experience equals a good restaurant, then Kiriya Japanese Restaurant in Inui Hinako is not a very good one!

There are many reasons for this, but in Rantab's view, the advance booking system is the main factor.

Who the hell is going to eat a meal?

Do I have to make a reservation a month in advance for the restaurant?

Therefore, this rule greatly diminishes the dining experience for diners!

……

"The most important criterion for running a Japanese restaurant is stability."

"Across the world, the average lifespan of a restaurant from opening to closing is 508 days. Therefore, maintaining a high standard over a long period is extremely difficult for all chefs!"

"Work hard, and this time I'll upgrade your Fog House to one star level first."

Hinako looked incredulous, then shook her head and said, "No."

"I reject!"

"what?"

Rantabi's head buzzed.

She thought there was something wrong with her ears and that she had misheard.

"Former two-star sushi chef Momo Fujiwara."

"Because I once received a WGO one-star rating, I had to endure a lot of pressure."

"In the end, she developed severe depression and could no longer concentrate on making sushi for customers. She had no choice but to close down the sushi restaurant that had been operating for 25 years!"

Rantabhi clicked his tongue in surprise.

It's not that the news is particularly shocking, but rather that this incident was completely suppressed by the WGO Food Organization a long time ago.

How did Hinako find out?

……

Most chefs.

We place great importance on the WGO star rating of our restaurant and will continuously strive to maintain it.

However, THE BOOK's evaluation method is very covert, and it usually does not disclose the specific reason when the star rating drops.

Therefore, once the star rating drops, the chefs' lives and emotions will be affected.

Yes.

This is the dilemma brought about by the current WGO review mechanism.

All chefs are eager to receive a WGO star rating, but they are also terrified of its influence.

Whether due to the restaurant's subjective reasons or other influencing factors as defined by the executives.