As 'The Bear' returns, real-life restauranteurs weigh in on the Michelin star quest

A Chicago restaurateur's desperate effort to secure a Michelin star comes to a head in the final season of FX's "The Bear." Real-life restaurant owners share whether or not it's worth the effort.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

The fifth and final season of the popular FX show "The Bear" is here.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE BEAR")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Chef, you good? You just take a breath. Listen to the pan. You hear the music?

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

If you're new to the show, we won't spoil your appetite for it. But the plot lives in the restaurant world and the perils of running one at the highest level.

MARTÍNEZ: They're chasing a Michelin star ranking given by the anonymous eaters with the global Michelin Guide.

MARTIN: But what's it like to win a Michelin star, and what does it take to keep it? For this, we called Chef Jonathan Sybert. His former restaurant in D.C., Tail Up Goat, won a star in 2017 shortly after it opened for the first time.

JONATHAN SYBERT: Honestly, it was just shocking. It was just something, like, I never really thought would happen to me.

MARTÍNEZ: Sybert and his partner envisioned Tail Up Goat as a local neighborhood spot, but the star brought new expectations.

SYBERT: When you have a Michelin star, people kind of have a very preconceived notion about what they're walking into when they walk into your restaurant. And we were a different restaurant than I think a lot of Michelin-starred restaurants at that time - you know, no white tablecloths. Our service staff wore what they wore into the restaurant that day and, you know, not any, you know, fancy uniforms or anything like that.

MARTIN: His advice to anyone aspiring to earn Michelin's attention?

SYBERT: I would never make earning a star the goal. I think that that's recipe for disaster right from the get-go. And, you know, you can really only control the things you can control, which is you doing the best you can, making the best food that, you know, means something to you every day.

MARTIN: Sybert and his partner decided to close Tail Up Goat when their 10-year lease ended last year.

MARTÍNEZ: But they recently opened up a new spot, Rye Bunny, which he says is much more sustainable. Sybert says it allows him to cut back on prices while staying true to the things that matter to him, such as offering his employees benefits and fair wages.

MARTIN: Chef Walter Manzke's restaurant in Los Angeles, named Manzke, won a Michelin star in 2022.

WALTER MANZKE: I think working towards it is one of the most rewarding parts of it because it gives you something to show up at work every day and look towards and just try and do what you're doing best and do it a little better today than you did yesterday.

MARTÍNEZ: But he also warns that even with the accolades, making money is still the point.

MANZKE: Nobody can forget that a restaurant is a business at the end of the day. And you can't keep going if it's not profitable and paying the bills, you know, which is very challenging in our day.

MARTIN: Manzke closed in 2024, but Chef Walter Manzke has other restaurants, including Republique in LA.

MARTÍNEZ: Here at MORNING EDITION, we offer a toast to all those who aspire for greatness in the restaurant business and otherwise.

MARTIN: And for more on "The Bear's" final season, catch actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie on the show, tomorrow on All Things Considered.

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