When you think of chefs and Michelin stars, Guy Savoy is a name that comes high on most people’s lists. The 69-year-old was described by Gordon Ramsey as his culinary mentor, so the news that the Burgundy-born restaurateur has had a star knocked off his Paris venue sent shock waves across the culinary world.

Savoy’s restaurant in Paris has held Michelin’s top three-star status for more than 20 years, and just three months ago he was named as the best chef in the world by La Liste for the sixth year running.

But in Michelin’s latest March edition, his restaurant in Paris has been downgraded to two stars, a move that is always highly controversial, especially as the reasons are not made public.

“These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine that these decisions are carefully considered, supported by numerous visits from our inspectors throughout the year,” according to Gwendal Poullennec, head of the guide. “For such important decisions, we include not just French inspectors but also some from other countries.”

Along with the decision on Monnaie de Paris, 20 French restaurants have seen their rating downgraded from two stars to one, the first such decisions since the Covid pandemic struck, with the guide insisting the need to downgrade venues is important to stay relevant.

In 2019, Marc Veyrat took legal action against the guide after it stripped his Alpine restaurant, La Maison des Bois, of one of its three stars, only for a court in Nanterre in Paris to rule he had offered no “proof showing the existence of any damage” caused by the demotion.