If they made this a law, I don't see how they could enforce it and monitor it, who knows what goes on in a chef's kitchen.

I do understand their point though but the word itself has a very broad meaning, from low quality to high.

Then, there will be a further need to classify bistro, cafe, pub, etc.

Do MacDonald's, Burger King, etc. advertise themselves as restaurants?

dcarch

I found another article which clarifies the intent a bit and makes it sound more reasonable to enforce. It's not redefining the word restaurant, it's earning a peer-reviewed designation for "quality restaurant":

Under the new system, only those restaurants that are transparent about ingredient-sourcing and merit a 75 percent or better "client satisfaction" rating on a new ratings website will be eligible to hang the special chef-approved plaque near their front door. The chef, who's become quite the culinary statesman during the last year, says that the French government has been "doing nothing" to help traditional chefs and cooks differentiate themselves from those who work with processed foods and precooked ingredients.

Here is a link that might be useful: Other article

We used to socialize with a couple, who, when questioned, told folks that they were in the restaurant business. In fact, they owned 5 McDonalds. I gagged whenever this happened, and had the unusual good sense (for me) to keep my mouth shut. We no longer see them because they were too high maintenance--the longer we knew them, the worse it got.

I'm all for it. I would very much want to know if I'm dining at a 3-star restaurant that is buying their entrees from whatever the French equivalent of Sysco is.

I don't object to the use of prepared foods as I use them myself. But I'm not inclined to spend money for a plate of "cassoulet-in-a-bag", either. And that's what's happening, apparently.

We eat out a lot, probably 3-5x/week. Prepared food can certainly be tasty - last year one of the most impressive meals we had was on Virgin Air's Business Class, simply because of the circumstances. Usually airline food is disgusting; this dinner was more than decent and even well-spiced. Quite an achievement for 12,000 feet, we thought!

So it all depends on where you're eating and what you're paying. Virgin's dinner was excellent considering it was microwaved on a commercial flight way up in the air. But if I drive to the Italian restaurant up the hill and get served the equivalent of Stouffer's lasagne, then I'm going to be miffed at the idea of paying more than 2-star prices.

I agree. If we're going out on a Sunday to eat before the cinema, then we're more than happy to eat in a brasserie where it's clear that the food isn't all produced on site from fresh and the price reflects that. You can still get some really decent food. On the other hand, if a restaurant wants to charge prices as in cooked from fresh, then I want properly cooked fresh food. It's quite simple to police. Just walk into a kitchen or look in the dustbin!

I like smaller places where you can see the kitchen, but many places you would be physically barred or removed if you tried to access the kitchen.

I know that all the "chain" type restaurants have prepared/frozen food, virtually nothing is fresh. That's for consistency, you can eat the same meal at Applebee's in Grand Rapids, Michigan as you can in Los Angeles, California. Doesn't make it good, but it's consistent and you can count on it. Ashley worked at Applebee's and at Red Lobster, Elery's daughter works at Olive Garden and used to work at Bob Evan's. Virtually everything comes frozen or in mixes dictated by "headquarters".

Are they better than McDonald's and Burger King? Maybe, and I think they are restaurants, but they sure wouldn't be "quality" restaurants. I think it's just adding another level to the designation. I hear about fast food restaurants, eat-in restaurants, chain restaurants. This would just be another designation and I think it's a good idea.

Of course, Elery and I eat out about twice a year, it's not something I particularly enjoy. I just keep thinking that I could make that better, cheaper, not have to drive 100 miles. I'm one of the pickiest eaters I know, and I want things done a certain way. Chain restaurants won't/can't deviate much out of their required norm and some of the others that are actually good (i.e. not a chain) get all offended if you ask them to leave something off or fix it differently. Plus, Elery's been on Weight Watchers and I've been kind of tagging along, so eating out is sometimes difficult.

We do make regular passes through the local McDonald's drive through, we feed the dog there. A McDonald's Onion Cheddar Burger is his favorite treat, after I pick off all the onions, and their vanilla ice cream cone is his second choice. Ashley says that's a ringing endorsement, I don't eat their food generally, but I'll feed the dog there. (grin)

Actually, the best meals normally come from a couple of local "dives", they make soup and bake bread from scratch, homemade pies with their own pastry, everything is fresh and much is local. They each seat about 25 people, so they don't sell a volume that requires mass produced food.

Annie