The owners of The Checkers restaurant in Montgomery, Wales, which has held a Michelin star since it opened in 2011, had hoped to not get a star rating in the new guide because of a change to its offer, with the restaurant due to scrap its six-course, £65 tasting menu only approach to appeal to a wider audience.
However, The Checkers has once again been awarded a star by Michelin with the guide, which was published yesterday (1 October) referencing its current approach. Chef proprietor Stephane Borie’s food is described as being ‘skilfully prepared’ in the guide, which says ‘classic French dishes are beautifully crafted and flavours pack a punch’.
The last service is reportedly at the end of this month before the restaurant relaunches as Checkers Pantry in mid-November.
It is not the first time a chef has attempted to hand back their restaurant’s stars. Last year French chef Sébastien Bras asked Michelin to not include his three star restaurant Le Suquet à Laguiole in its 2018 guide.
While Michelin initially indicated that it wouldn’t comply with the request, the restaurant subsequently did not appear in the guide as ‘a courtesy’.
In 2017 Boath House in Auldearn, Scotland, asked for its Michelin star to be removed with its owners Don and Wendy Matheson saying they wanted ‘to move Boath House in a new direction’.
The restaurant did hold its star in the 2018 Michelin guide but has lost its star in the 2019 edition.
Click here to see all the deletions in the 2019 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland