If you polled the public for their top 20 restaurants in the UK, then polled the industry for theirs, should we expect a similar list from both, and if so does it mean that the public know as much as the industry? If the lists are different, why are they?
I suspect that the public would vote for the restaurants they've been to most recently - just like they vote for the albums and movies they've recently enjoyed, rather than the timeless classics, when the likes of Empire and Mojo magazines conduct their "100 Greatest Ever" polls.
Gordon Cartwright: If you polled the public for their top 20 restaurants in the UK, then polled the industry for theirs, should we expect a similar list from both, and if so does it mean that the public know as much as the industry? If the lists are different, why are they?
I suspect you would see a difference because I'm not sure that an inspector - and you can answer me here Gordon - takes in the whole dining experience in the way the customer would. Michelin, I believe, are largely focused on the food, which is why people used to be shocked when they went to the Walnut Tree and the loos were outside - they weren't expecting that from a Michelin-starred restaurant! Sometimes people think that accolades mean that everything is in tiptop condition, flawless, and they don't expect the quirkiness of, say, the building that houses the Fat Duck.
I ate at a place recently which has been dubbed by the AA as "a comfortable two", but to me the food was definately three rosette standard. What could have influenced it's decision to downgrade it?