Like Bill, I did not dine at Pure & V. Instead, when we arrived, 22 minutes late for our reservation & 12 minutes past the apparent 10 minute cut off, we were greeted rudely by the owner of the restaurant who was cold, rude, & unsympathetic. I expressed to her openly that we had just come from the airport due to missing luggage (which we still have not received) & that we understand her procedure of not being able to seat us. We offered a very easy/mutually beneficial alternative which was we were happy to sit & not be served/eat the dishes that would've been served in the 12 minutes that we had missed & STILL pay for the full price-- in fact, we were happy to do so. As foodies who have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world & have never experienced such hostility, we were sincerely shocked by her overall demeanor & approach.
Despite this offer, she, the owner & chef, refused to sit us-- whether that was because of our dress or racial background is still to be determined-- perhaps she had a blind allegiance to protocol that seemed to surpass understanding. While we were there, there was a white couple already seated with no food & a white couple that arrived ten minutes afterwards that received no issues with their check-in. When it was clear that she wouldn't serve us, we then requested that she not charge us the cancellation fee when we were, in fact, there & experiencing an unforeseen circumstance (I was literally in tears). She was incredibly cold, unsympathetic, & honestly, absolutely disgusting, sharing a story about how a group of seven people once couldn't make it because of a car accident & she still charged them-- a CAR ACCIDENT! Even a few hours later, I am still unclear of the relevance of this story except to emphasize her lack of humanity-- in an industry that is primarily designed around customer service & hospitality.
I am quite aware that in order to earn a Michelin star, one must have "a very good restaurant in this category" & that means the restaurant must "have a quality menu and prepares cuisine to a consistently high standard." As someone who has frequented many restaurants that have received this honor, I believe that inherent in a Michelin star is a quality of hospitality & quite frankly, a belief in high quality service & humanity. Until now, I have never heard of a restaurant earning a Michelin star with lackluster & terrible service. I saw in previous reviews that she had mocked the accent of another Asian American & refused to seat a family with a baby-- how is this possible? How has this type of openly discriminatory behavior been allowed to continue?
I continue to be shocked & in dismay. & I am so disappointed by the behavior of this restaurant owner. There are many restaurants with Michelin stars in Nice that I'm sure would not treat their clientele like subhumans-- go there instead. read more