Originally Posted by
gengar
And it's precisely what some of these restaurants are seeking to avoid by closing public reservations. The purpose of the Michelin Guide supports this phenomenon.
I’m not sure something that is 120 years old qualifies as a phenomenon.
But I take the point that it is within the gift of the restaurant to choose how it attracts its customers, and likewise the decision of guides to reflect this in whether or not they list the restaurant. A more interesting point is the reticence and avoidance of foreign business. I can understand it on one level, they don’t need the money or the hassle of dealing with strangers. But if you tried it in other countries if could be construed as skirting close to racism.