Taste buds and national pride are closely related in Austria. Woe betide anyone who dares to criticize Wiener Schnitzel, semolina dumpling soup or Kaiserschmarrn. Then the hospitable Austrians quickly mutate into insulted liver sausages. For example, in 2022, the website specializing in traditional dishes “taste atlas“The Austrian cuisine only ranked 33rd in a global comparison, behind Germany and England, and there were nasty comments on social media (“Those who made the ranking probably work at McDonald’s”, “We cook better than our German neighbors: schnitzel too Tunke? What’s that supposed to mean?”).
But not only blame hurts national pride, false praise is almost as bad. The operator of the XXL restaurant Leopoldauer Alm in Vienna, known for its gigantic portions, Christian Pircher, threatened Germans with a wad if they said the word “tasty” after eating the XXL schnitzel. “It’s not called tasty. That’s considered an insult,” the XXL boss complained on the restaurant’s Facebook page in February, adding that anyone who still licks around risks having their “pear wobble.”
And what if there is neither criticism nor praise? Not right either. When in 2009 the gourmet guide Michelin, the red bible of the gastronomy scene, discontinued its Austrian editionBecause it obviously wasn’t economically worthwhile for the French publisher, words like “stab-in-the-back legend” or “Kulturwatsch’n” were used among top restaurateurs. After that, only selected restaurants in Vienna and Salzburg were tested that were listed in the “Guide Michelin Main Cities of Europe”, which has now been discontinued. And then, strangely enough, there are a few Michelin-rated inns in Kleinwalsertal, which is politically part of Austria but can only be reached by car from Germany.
What good are Michelin stars these days?
Now the gastronomic rumor mill is bubbling after it was announced that the renowned restaurant guide will appear in printed form again in Austria from 2024 – funded with tax money. “At the moment we are in discussions with public partners about possible upcoming activities in Austria,” confirms the Guide Michelin press office in Clermont-Ferrand. The secretive Michelin Guide is silent about public funding: “For competitive reasons, we cannot talk about the commercial terms of our negotiations or partnerships.” The top gastronomy is happy.
Review portals such as Tripadvisor, Foursquare and Yelp have long had more influence on the commercial success of restaurants than classic gourmet guides. But the Michelin stars still have great appeal. They may have zero relevance to the potential audience of XXL hosts, for whom the size of meat lobes and low prices are more important than the quality of the ingredients and the creativity of the chef, for wealthy gourmets and wealthy tourists from Asia, the USA and the Gulf States on the other hand, yes. Especially in five-star hotels that rely on international guests, restaurants with Michelin stars and Gault-Millau toques still play a role, especially as a marketing tool.
However, star-rated gastronomy is a very expensive undertaking, and the Michelin Guide also wants to earn money. According to the French tire manufacturer, which reports an annual turnover of 28 billion, the Michelin Guide in Europe employs more than 80 anonymous critics for its restaurant and hotel guides, who are deployed across borders. Evaluation criteria are the consistent quality of the ingredients and their freshness, their professional preparation, the harmony of the taste combination as well as the innovation and uniqueness of the dishes, which is reflected in creativity and a personal touch.
If a smaller country like Slovenia, Croatia or Austria wants Michelin to distribute its stars among the top chefs again, the tire and travel company will pay dearly, according to industry experts, up to one million euros per year.
“A lottery six for the tourism industry”
The Austrian Parliament’s Tourism Committee recently processed a proposal to spend public money on Michelin stars. The specialist medium Lime & Skittles had previously done diligent lobbying and collected 20,000 signatures from people in the catering and hotel industries. “A lottery six for the tourism industry,” says Michael Pöcheim-Pech, editor of Lime & Skittleswhich refers to an estimated “overnight stay increase of around 16 percent” and “additional tourism income of around 48 million euros per year”.
The news has sparked a certain amount of food envy among competing gourmet guides such as Gault & Millau and Falstaff. “For chefs, the Michelin star is the most important currency,” says Wolfgang Rosam, editor of Falstaff, “but what is not possible is that Austrian politicians unilaterally support the billion-dollar company Michelin to the tune of millions and not the guides in their own country.” This violates all equal treatment and is “extremely unfair” compared to the existing guides.
How objective can a restaurant guide financed by tourism funding actually be? Michelin categorically rejects fears that the “partnership with public authorities and local tourism authorities” could lead to biased assessments: “All destinations presented are selected at the sole discretion of the Michelin Guide for their culinary potential and maturity, and the inspectors remain in their position The selection process is completely independent.” Well then: meal!