‘Customers to blame’ as only Michelin star fades
Monday 10th August 2009, 2:01PM BST.
GUERNSEY’S only Michelin-starred restaurant will close its doors at the end of this month.
Christophe Vincent, chef-proprietor at Christophe, has handed back his Michelin star and said it was a huge relief.
‘Because we were the only one on the island, there was nowhere for people to compare us to. They expect perfection but that is three stars, not one,’ he said.
Mr Vincent said islanders assumed that, with the Michelin seal of approval, it was a formal restaurant with exorbitant prices.
He joins a growing list of chefs handing back what has always been regarded as the catering industry’s highest accolade.
‘When I had it the first time it was good for my ego, I was 30-years-old, but now it is not important to me,’ he said.
He has held a Michelin star for eight years, having previously been awarded one at Cafe du Moulin.
‘There is no more pressure, I put myself under a lot of pressure and people have expectations which are way too high,’ said Mr Vincent.
Christophe opened in February 2006.
‘I am not sad about it closing – it is not something that lives it is just a restaurant,’ he said.
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What a bizarre view he has. Of course we expected it to be formal and expensive – because it was/is a posh restaurant with high(ish) prices! He created that atmosphere, not us.
I didn’t stop going because I expected perfection. I stopped going because the service was shocking.
I hope he does better with his new venture. But he needs to remember that being a great chef is only part of the dining experience – you also need to allow people to feel relaxed and looked after. Good service is essential.
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Its closing because if had no atmosphere and was decorated in a gloomy 1970′s style of brown. The tasting menu was good but the rest was overpriced for what it was.
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I agree with TL – by getting the only Michelin star on Guernsey, he is making a statement that his restaurant is superior to others, therefore a higher standard is automatically expected. In fairness to Mr Vincent though, by handing back the accolade he is making a statement that he no longer has those pretentions.
I went there once for a meal and movie office function. The food was OK but nothing to get that excited about – I’ve had better food in many pubs! I guess the “gourmet” experience isn’t for everyone.
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On holiday last year we ate there,and thought the food good.If you provide good food,and the service is right,and the price not over the top,then people in Guernsey soon get to know,and the customers come.We often find that the place we ate at last year is not so good this year,there seems to be a lot of “chef poaching” going on?But you do have plenty of choice in Guernsey – is the art of “home cooking”dying out?
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‘When I had it the first time it was good for my ego, I was 30-years-old, but now it is not important to me,’ he said.
Really? In my books, if someone blames their customers for the failure of their business instead of being able to take a long, hard look at what they did wrong, then it seems to me that they are still very much about their ego!
I was selling some very competitively priced, exceptional quality, locally grown organic herbs a while back to all his counterparts in the industry, but when I phoned and offered them to this gentleman, he haughtily informed me that ‘we get all our ‘erbs flown in from France’ and cut me dead.
Perhaps if he’d bothered to support other local industries, he could have lowered his ridiculous prices to a more sustainable level and subsequently, the ‘expectations’ of his customers.
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It’s a shame that Christophe’s is closing, I have eaten there fairly regularly since it opened, and there is nowhere else that I have tried doing food of this standard in Guernsey.
Scarlett, for a Michelin starred restaurant the prices are very good given the quality of the produce that they use. The Menu Gormand with wine pairings would normally be well over £100 a head in other Michelin starred restaurants that i’ve eaten at. The A La Carte prices have increased recently, but for most of the restaurants life it was not much more than you would pay at other good quality restaurants locally. They did also source ingredients locally, Such as Meadow Court beef and veal…your post sounds more like sour grapes because they didn’t buy your produce!
I do agree with TL to a degree though. The service when it first opened was excellent, very professional, but the staff were friendly, good for a laugh and made an effort to get to know their customers. Unfortunately they changed staff completely recently and the place lost all of it’s atmosphere because of it. They now don’t even do basic things such as explaining what dishes that do not have a full description are when handing out menus. Because of this we have only been a couple of times this year.
And Paul Le P, you don’t ‘get’ a Michelin Star, it’s awarded to restaurants after they have been recommended by people and visited anonymously by Michelin inspectors.
I’ll look forward to trying the Fermain Hotel’s restaurants now that Christophe’s taking over there. Maybe now he’s not trying to cook to that standard he will find time to get out of the kitchen and meet his diners. All the times that I have eaten at his restaurants I have never seen him in the flesh.
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My favourite restaurant in Guernsey by a mile. Most of the restaurants in the same price range on the island aren’t even close on quality.
Called 2 Fridays ago for a table and it was fully booked. How is it closing? Maybe it misses out on the corporate / in center of town trade?
Anyway, good luck to Christophe wherever he goes, I’ve had some great meals there.
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I think Christophe was a little hard done by with the Press’ headline, because I didn’t read that he was directly blaming customers in the article.
I used to go to Christophes on a regular basis. However over the past 18 months i’ve been only once, due to a shocking reduction in the standard of service, and also a bit of laziness on behalf of the chef. His tasting menus lost their originality; every meal does not have to start with fois gras! However i’ve always found the pricing to be good value compared to most Guernsey restaurants.
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It’s the people that make any business.
When Christophe’s opened, the original front of house team of Darryl, Stephano, et al, set the tone with their obvious passion for the ‘Christophe’ experience, customer care and attention to detail. Sadly, they moved on, and things have not been the same since. The food has always been brilliant, but that is only one component – the rest has to come from the staff. The current staff are very professional, but the warmth is not there.
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A real shame. This was by far the best restaurant in Guernsey, as was the Cafe du Moulin before it.
I took Miss Student Bob and a great big bag of the taxpayers cash only a few weeks ago and found both the food and service excellent. Christophe has always been worth the small premium over such places as Da Nello’s simply because the quality of food is in a different league – as acknowledged by the michelin star.
The very best of luck to Christophe at the Fermain Valley. Perhaps now he’s a little further down the hill he can address my only complaint – the lack of valet mooring for private boat owners like myself who would prefer to arrive by speedboat.
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Well Bob, something we agree on. A real shame it is closing as I have only ever had excellent meals there. I think there was a misconcpetion that it was very expensive where when compared to Le Nautique, La Fregate and L’Escalier it was very similarly priced…..
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If only the Northside chippie would open again
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I recently visited Guernsey on a very quick day trip and was taken to the Venture Inn. The food and Service was absolutly superb
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Cafe du Moulin closed, Christophe to close, watch out Fermain Valley Hotel!! Maybe Chef Vincent could make snacks for Blue Islands or sandwiches for the Healthspan staff cafe!?
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Never been there, so l can not say what the food was like.
I believe that like so many chefs over here, they use mostly imported fruit and veg. Why not be more inventive with fresh local seasonal produce and stop cooking up old long traveled tied imported produce?
I get annoyed, going out for a meal, when for example you ask for beans or mushrooms, all they offer you,non local from across the other side of the world.
In Guernsey, we have an abundance of fresh localand fruit and veg. in the island.
As the herb lady said, competitively priced and fresh.
Restaurants really need to look at local availability, stalls, markets etc, rather than from sup piers, who mainly import.
Good chefs go out and look for fresh produce, get out there, and look.
Lets set higher standards, rather than lower them.
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Oh Muppet, you sound bitter!
I’m sure the Foie Gras Bean Jar will go down a storm!!
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It’s certainly the case that people are going out less now – however, to keep spirits up, I suggest people continue to eat out and enjoy themselves, but should just trade down a little or have 2 courses instead of 3. I’ve recently discovered The Rowantree which is by the car park at Salerie Corner in town, and does really good food at very realistic prices and I’m sure there are loads of others around too (it’s just that these guys are at the bottom of my road!)
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