Michelin has made a controversial decision in its 2020 Tokyo Guide. The famed guide has decided to drop the ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ restaurant — Sukiyabashi Jiro — from the 2020 Tokyo Guide.
Why?
Because the average joe cannot get a seat at the table at the10-seat restaurant. They are so backed up in reservations that it is no longer accepting public reservations.
In a statement to CNN, a Michelin representative said that the legendary sushi restaurant wasn’t being removed due to declining quality, which is what usually happens when restaurants are removed from the guide. Sukiyabashi Jiro is getting the axe simply because it’s nearly impossible for the average Joe to get a seat.
“We recognise [that] Sukiyabashi Jiro does not accept reservations from the general public, which makes it out of our scope,” a Michelin representative said in a statement. “Michelin’s policy is to introduce restaurants where everybody can go to eat.”
The restaurant is run by 94-year-old Jiro Ono, and his eldest son, Yoshikazu and prices start at around 40,000 yen for the chef’s selection menu.
A statement on the restaurant’s website says:
“Thank you for your continued patronage of the Sukiyabashi Jiro head restaurant.
We are currently experiencing difficulties in accepting reservations and apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers.
Unfortunately, as our restaurant can only seat up to 10 guests at a time, this situation is likely continued. Please note that we will not be able to accept telephone reservations until further notice.
In some cases, guests from overseas have been unable to arrive on the date and time of their reservation. For this reason, we can only accept reservations through the concierge of the overseas guests’ hotel.
We at Sukiyabashi Jiro wish it were possible to accommodate all guests at our restaurant, but this is unfortunately not possible given the reality of our situation. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
Sukiyabashi Jiro”
