In The Bear Season 4, episode 1, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) reaffirms his quest for The Bear to get a Michelin star. After all, if the restaurant earns one, the recognition could bring in more customers and save The Bear from financial ruin.
By the end of Season 4, The Bear has not heard whether they’ve earned the Michelin star. The lack of follow-through on this key plot point is just one of many ways in which Season 4 drops the ball on any kind of pacing and urgency, even though The Bear’s crew are staring down a two-month doomsday clock reminding them of the restaurant’s imminent closure. But every second counts, right?
Still, the Michelin star plotline wasn’t entirely abandoned, because the show hints pretty hard that a Michelin inspector visited The Bear.
In Season 4, episode 3, after Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gives a dining party the surprise of a sandwich from the Chicago Beef, he briefly connects with another impressed customer (Gary Janetti).
“You have a bunch of mind readers in here,” the customer says, going on to praise Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) new scallop dish and The Bear’s “excellent vibe.”
Later, he catches sight of Richie’s other big surprise: turning the outside of the Beef sandwich window into a winter wonderland so that a recently cancer-free diner traveling in from Los Angeles can experience a Chicago snow in person. It’s clear the customer Richie spoke to is touched by the display, which is a good thing, because he’s definitely the Michelin inspector.
First, the show’s outsize focus on an unnamed diner hints pretty hard that he’s someone important. Second, the show drops a major, Chicago-specific hint about his role.
In Season 4, episode 2, The Bear’s staff strategizes over how to spot a Michelin inspector. According to the former Ever staff and real-life Chicago restaurateur Donnie Madia (playing himself), no one knows who the inspectors are, but there are signs. Sometimes they fiddle with their reservation at the last second, or bring a celebrity as a distraction.
“You do hear things, though,” Madia says. “Like they use a weird last name. Like a street in the city they’re visiting.”
What name does the mystery diner’s driver call him as she comes to pick him up from the restaurant? None other than Mr. Clark — and Clark is a major street in Chicago! Case closed, Janetti’s customer is the Michelin inspector Carmy and his team were so dreading serving.
The good news is that the inspector appeared impressed with his experience at The Bear. He enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, plus he got to witness some of Richie’s surprises. Maybe he’ll dock points for Richie securing him an extra sandwich from the Beef, since Madia advised staff not to pamper the Michelin inspector more than they would a usual guest. But it seems like Richie truly didn’t know and was just providing a nice service, so maybe the inspector will let it slide.
The bad news? The inspector’s visit has no bearing on the rest of the season. Instead, a late visit by a Food & Wine critic ends up having more of an impact.
I’m sure Michelin will come back into play in a potential Season 5. However, to front-load the season with mentions of it only never to circle back is a massive failure of pacing, as well as a sign that The Bear is confused about its own priorities. At least we’ll always have that Clark Street Easter egg.
