Last month, World’s 50 Best announced on Twitter that they would be moving The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 ceremony from Moscow to London, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Today, they announced on Instagram that no Russian establishments will be included in their bar or restaurant lists.
World’s 50 Best wrote, “We do not hold any restaurants or bars individually responsible for the actions of their government and we acknowledge all those in Russia who have bravely denounced the actions of their leaders. Our thoughts continue to be with the people of Ukraine at this time.”
In 2021, World’s 50 Best recognized two Russian restaurants and one Russian bar: White Rabbit, Twins Garden, and El Copitas, respectively.
Russia began the invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. The unprovoked invasion elicited immediate responses from many in the service industry. Desperate to help, or at least offer a symbol of support for Ukraine, many in the sector have initiated pro-Ukrainian demonstrations, including the removal of Russian products from shelves, renaming items like Moscow Mules to Kyiv Mules (Kyiv is the preferred Ukrainian spelling) and even fully rebranding. Several states have called on liquor stores to ban Russian products.
While well intentioned, this is mostly a symbolic show of support. Few brands associated with Russia are still produced there, and less than one percent of alcohol consumed in the United States is Russian-made, according to the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS).
World’s 50 Best’s decision is no different. It’s a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine that’s drawing harsh reviews from the industry.
World renowned chef Gaggan Anand commented, “Food should unite, not divide!! @Twinsgardenmoscow @grischeckinigor shouldn’t be punished for their leader!”
Chef Sven Elverfeld of the three Michelin-starred Restaurant Aqua agreed, commenting, “❤️💙💛 solidarity? YES❤️🩹 Chefs are NOT soldiers 🖤 #respect them, there are not making the rules & have no impact to the politics - for example @muhinvladimir @whiterabbitmoscow … what should there do 💔 #chefsaroundtheworld #cheffearoundtheworld Worldwide peace at least in our business 🌎🌏🌍❣️”
It's worth noting that voices on the ground in Ukraine support the decision. As an example, user @apereyslavska wrote, “In Ukraine we had a lot of amazing restaurants and bars. But now our citizens don’t have enough food and water in different parts of our country. STOP THIS HELL! We shouldn’t justify war in any ways. It’s not about politics, it’s about peoples’ lives. Ps. Thanks for support, guys! You’re right 🤍”
Last week, Michelin announced it would suspend restaurant recommendations in Russia. The guide launched in Russia in 2021, awarding nine restaurants’ stars and listing a total of 69 restaurants. They will not be updating their list this year. In a press release, Michelin announced, “We have made the choice not to promote Moscow as a destination. As a result, the Moscow selection will not be updated this year.” Like World’s 50 Best, they stated that this is a political stance, and not a reflection of the nation’s culinary talent. “In no way do these decisions call into question the talent of the teams and chefs.”
You can read both full statements below.
Ultimately, it's a damned if you do, damned if you don’t decision for World’s 50 Best and Michelin Guide, both of which are no strangers to controversy. Last year, Bar & Restaurant reported on how the Michelin Guide failed restaurants during Covid-19. Beyond that, they are historically known for favoring white, male chefs, and overlook the talents of women and people of color.
Of course the decision to remove Russian listings has no actual outcome on the war. Yet, if these brands had decided to continue recognizing Russian restaurants and bars, that would have come with its own public outrage.
There is no perfect answer. There is no choice they could have made that would have been met with unanimous praise.
Erring on the side of passive protest seems the least wrong, at least to me. It's a way of demonstrating their opposition to the invasion, and saying that they will drive tourism revenue to Russia for now. Neither organization is "canceling" Russia permanently. World's 50 Best and the Michelin Guide are simply removing themselves for now, as many other companies (like McDonald's, Apple, Disney, Ikea, BP, Exxon, Boeing, and Visa) have done.
There are major economic benefits to being recognized on these lists. It can literally make your entire career. But right now, Russian businesses have other, more glaring economic pressures to deal with.
In the meantime, the companies that are pulling out of Russia should be doing more than just virtue signaling. Instead of this emphasis on Russia, corporations should focus on how they can actively help Ukraine. And, to go a step further, they should take this as an opportunity to realign their values and address other controversies within their organizations.
Official Statement from the Michelin Guide
"Given the severity of the current crisis, the MICHELIN Guide teams have made the decision to suspend all restaurant recommendation activities in Russia. In this context, we have made the choice not to promote Moscow as a destination. As a result, the Moscow selection will not be updated this year and the MICHELIN Guide's development projects in Russia have been put on ice for the time being. In addition, publications about the restaurants of the Moscow selection on our social networks, website, and app have also been put on hold. In no way do these decisions call into question the talent of the teams and chefs of the 69 restaurants honored last October."
Official Statement from World's 50 Best
“By including Russian restaurants or bars in our high-profile lists, we would be tacitly supporting hospitality-driven tourism to Russia, boosting revenue in the country and indirectly supporting the government through taxation. As our statement made clear, 50 Best does not hold any individuals or establishments in the F&B community in Russia responsible for this situation – indeed, they are victims themselves of their government’s actions. However, as an organization, we do not believe it is right to promote Russia as a dining or drinking destination at this current time.”
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The views and opinions expressed here are soley those of the author, and do not reflect Questex or Bar & Restaurant as a whole.
This article was updated on 3/8/2022