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Expert Opinion and Gastronomy: The Recipe for Success

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  • Véronique Chossat
  • Olivier Gergaud

Abstract

Experts' opinions play an important role in the gastronomic market for the following reasons: information is imperfect and very costly to acquire and quality is, in large part, subjective and consumers need experts to define it. The number of guidebooks currently issued, their success (Michelin: 650,000 sold; GaultMillau: 200,000 sold) and the strong level of correlation generally obtained between prices and ratings or rankings (0.63 on average) for this class of activity illustrate this influence. Without experts, supply and demand would find it difficult to meet.Therefore, identifying the determinants of these evaluations of quality and then estimating their respective impact become relevant. According to the experts, the art of cooking is the only determinant that they take into account when selecting and then evaluating the chefs. For the chefs, the setting also appears to be a determinant and not the least important one.What is the best strategy to become a ``first rate'' chef? Would Alain Ducasse, one of the most famous French chefs, get the same rating in a roadside café as in a luxury restaurant? To answer these questions, a quality equation is estimated using an original database concerning 185 leading French chefs who have been selected in one of the most famous French guidebooks: GaultMillau (2000 edition). The results show that there are two strategies to become a ``first rate'' chef but that the art of cooking prevails over setting. This is in line with the observation that some gourmet restaurants tend to over-invest in luxurious surroundings. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003

Suggested Citation

  • Véronique Chossat & Olivier Gergaud, 2003. "Expert Opinion and Gastronomy: The Recipe for Success," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 27(2), pages 127-141, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:27:y:2003:i:2:p:127-141
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1023432502059
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    Cited by:

    1. Azuela Flores José Ignacio & Fernandez Blanco Víctor & Sanzo Pérez María José, 2012. "The effects of critics reviews on movie demand," Contaduría y Administración, Accounting and Management, vol. 57(2), pages 201-222, abril-jun.
    2. Fogarty, James Joseph, 2010. "Expert opinion and cuisine reputation in the market for restaurant meals," 2010 Conference (54th), February 10-12, 2010, Adelaide, Australia 59078, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    3. Nicolas Gérard Vaillant & François-charles Wolff, 2012. "Do consumers learn from tasting scores set by experts?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(2), pages 1378-1384.
    4. Joel Waldfogel, 2020. "Dining out as cultural trade," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(2), pages 309-338, June.
    5. Vollaard, Ben & van Ours, Jan C., 2022. "Bias in expert product reviews," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 105-118.
    6. Ali, Héla Hadj & Lecocq, Sébastien & Visser, Michael, 2010. "The Impact of Gurus: Parker Grades and en primeur Wine Prices," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 22-39, April.
    7. Alžbeta Kiráľová & Lukáš Malec, 2021. "Local Food as a Tool of Tourism Development in Regions," International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management in the Digital Age (IJTHMDA), IGI Global, vol. 5(1), pages 54-68, January.
    8. Gergaud, Olivier & Smeets, Valérie & Warzynski, Frédéric, 2010. "Stars War in French Gastronomy: Prestige of Restaurants and Chefs’ Careers," Working Papers 10-2, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.
    9. Nicolas G鲡rd Vaillant & François-Charles Wolff, 2013. "Understanding how experts rate cigars: a ‘havanometric’ analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 99-109, January.
    10. Erwin Dekker, 2015. "Two approaches to study the value of art and culture, and the emergence of a third," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 39(4), pages 309-326, November.
    11. Francesco Angelini & Massimiliano Castellani, 2019. "Cultural and economic value: a critical review," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(2), pages 173-188, June.
    12. Florine Livat & Nicolas Vaillant, 2006. "Expert opinion and brand reputation: an analysis from a French Cuban cigars guidebook," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 97-100.
    13. Christian Barrère & Véronique Noblot Chossat, 2004. "Intellectual Property Rights and Cultural Heritage The case of non-cumulative and non-degenerative creation [Droits de propriété intellectuelle et patrimoines culturels. Le cas de la création non-c," Post-Print hal-02615180, HAL.
    14. Ennio E. Piano, 2021. "Organizing high-end restaurants," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 165-192, June.
    15. Zhang, Ziqiong & Zhang, Zili & Yang, Yang, 2016. "The power of expert identity: How website-recognized expert reviews influence travelers' online rating behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 15-24.
    16. Dakshina De Silva & Caroline Elliott & Robert Simmons, 2013. "Restaurant wars," Working Papers 44312700, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    17. Menglong Xia & Yang Zhang & Rui Gu, 2023. "Creative Tea Beverages as a New Tourism Attraction? Exploring Determinants of Tourists’ Repurchase Intention Using Dual Process Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-19, July.
    18. Alžbeta Kiráľová & Lukáš Malec, 2021. "Local Food as a Tool of Tourism Development in Regions," International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management in the Digital Age (IJTHMDA), IGI Global, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, January.
    19. Castriota, Stefano & Corsi, Stefano & Frumento, Paolo Dyno & Ruggeri, Giordano, 2021. "Does quality pay off? “Superstar” wines and the uncertain price premium across quality grades," Working Papers 321846, American Association of Wine Economists.
    20. Chong Choi & Ron Berger, 2009. "Ethics of Global Internet, Community and Fame Addiction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(2), pages 193-200, March.

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