Taste makers in the “fine-dining” restaurant industry: The attribution of aesthetic and economic value by gastronomic guides

Abstract

Taste makers lay down the rules of what constitutes good or legitimate taste and influence identifications and practices of producers. This paper examines roles played by gastronomic critics/guides as taste makers in the fine-dining restaurant industry of Britain and Germany, defined as Michelin-starred restaurants. A theoretical exploration—drawing on the fields of both sociology of culture and cultural economy relating to singular cultural goods—states what cultural influence consists of, how it is achieved and what symbolic and material consequences it may have. The empirical section examines three gastronomic guides in the British and German restaurant industry. The Michelin Guide is considered the most influential taste maker, seen to wield both symbolic and material power. Its authority is accepted by most high-level chefs in the field. This has enabled the Guide to prolong the hegemony of French culinary culture and, at the same time, exclude other national cuisines, as well as regional cooking from recognition as “haute cuisine.” The paper employs qualitative research methods relying on three data sources: an analysis of Guides; 30 in-depth interviews with restaurateurs/head chefs; two interviews with Michelin inspectors/editors in Britain and Germany; and a data archive on all restaurants with multiple stars.