Gusteau's

Type

Restaurant

Location

Paris, France

Owner(s)

Auguste Gusteau

Featured in

Ratatouille

“What I say is true, anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.”

―Auguste Gusteau, founder

Gusteau's was a restaurant in Paris, France founded by the late chef, Auguste Gusteau. It is featured in the 2007 film Ratatouille.

Overview

History

Ratatouille

Founder of Gusteau's, Auguste Gusteau — Founder of Gusteau's, **Auguste Gusteau**

Gusteau's was once one of the most esteemed 5-Star restaurants in Paris and was beloved for not just its cooking but for the warm ambience provided by its head chef and owner Auguste Gusteau who always promoted the ideal that anyone could cook. Sadly, the restaurant's fame would suffer after a scathing review from noted restaurant critic Anton Ego greatly affected the restaurant's image, even causing it to lose one star. The fall from glory was enough to drive Gusteau into a severe depression which he never recovered from, eventually passing away. Without Gusteau at the helm, the restaurant's reputation and stars would once again decrease, especially due to the greedy actions of Gusteau's former partner, the restaurant's sous-chef turned head chef Jonah Skinner, who shamelessly allowed the restaurant's quality and reputation to suffer as he cheapened the quality and franchised the image of his deceased partner for a mediocre line of canned foods and TV dinners.

Gusteau's staff — Gusteau's former staff

This would all change the day a young man named Alfredo Linguini appeared to ask for a job at Gusteau's at the suggestion of his late mother, a very close friend of Auguste Gusteau himself. Initially Linguini's time as a worker was mired with difficulty, but after befriending a very intelligent rat which he dubbed "Little Chef" that was able to help Linguini cook through some rather elaborate means as well as romancing rôtisseur Colette Tatou, Linguini quickly ascended the ranks and became a proper chef. It would later be discovered that Linguini was in fact the illegitimate son of chef Gusteau, making him the heir to his father's restaurant and the new head chef and manager, thus leading to chef Skinner's termination and the restaurant's slowly recovering reputation.

Gusteau's staff 2 — Head chef Skinner discovers Linguini with "Little Chef"

Unfortunately, the good times were not to last, as not only was the restaurant forced to once again deal with Anton Ego, but the presence of the rats in the restaurant was eventually discovered by the staff, all of whom subsequently quit upon the discovery, with the exception chef Tatou, and things only grew worse after former chef Skinner found out and exposed the matter to the public with support from the local health inspector, forcing Gusteau's to shut down for good.

Gusteau's closed — Gusteau's is shut down

Fortunately enough though, Anton Ego enjoyed the food prepared by Linguini, Little Chef and Tatou so much that he decided to help the out of work chefs by investing in a new business to be run by them, especially since his approval of their meal at a rat-infested restaurant cost him his credibility. The new business was a charming little bistro which was fittingly dubbed "La Ratatouille", named after the dish that won over Ego and which used the image of Little Chef as its symbol, with the restaurant eventually becoming just as beloved as Gusteau's.

Cars 2

A version of Gusteau's exists in a world inhabited entirely by living sapient cars where it is known as Gastow's and looks identical to its human restaurant counterpart, the only difference is obviously that Gastow himself is a car. How much of its history is akin to that of its human counterpart or if its Gastow is still alive is uncertain.

Baguettes
Salmon on Caesar Salad
Sweetbreads Ala Gusteau
Gusteau’s Souffle - One of many recipes later shown to the public in Gusteau's cookbook.
Gusteau’s Famous Poached Scallops with Beurre Blanc
Roast Duck
Pudding
Bundt cake with Lemon Glaze and Raspberries - One of many recipes later shown to the public in Gusteau's cookbook.
Seared Beef and Wild Rice - Notably the dish that was despised by Ego and which ruined Gusteau's reputation.
Linguini's Soup Special - In truth, this soup was actually improved by "Little Chef" which restored much of the restaurant's reputation.
Sous Vide Salmon Roulade with Asparagus Salad
Filet Mignon - Served on Sweet Potatoes and French Lentils with pan-seared onion and mushrooms.
Sole Meuneire
Pheasant Consommé
Ratatouille - The final dish to be prepared at Gusteau's before it was shut down for good.
Wine
- 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc - The chosen vintage of Anton Ego for his final meal at the restaurant.
Champagne

Chef Gusteau's Frozen Foods

Chef Gusteau's Frozen Foods (aka Gusteau's Microwaves in advertising) was a line of cheap TV dinners and microwaveable frozen foods conceived by Gusteau's former head chef Jonah Skinner following his death, having shamelessly used his late partner's popular image in order to sell his mediocre products while tarnishing the already suffering legacy of Gusteau. The line produced several different brands of frozen foods each based around different regional dishes which ranged from fried chicken to Chinese foods, ironically featuring no foods from Gusteau's actual menu, and Gusteau's image was changed accordingly to match the region where said foods were prevalent. Following Linguini's take over of Gusteau's, Skinner's termination from head chef and the burning of all Chef Gusteau's Frozen Foods products in the restaurant by the staff, it can be assumed that the entire line was discontinued.

Brands

Gusteau's Microwave Burritos
Gusteau's Microwave BBQ Dips N' Ribs
Gusteau's Microwave Tooth Pick N' Chicken
Gusteau's Microwave Chopsocky Pockets
Gusteau's Microwave Haggis Bites
Gusteau's Microwave Corn Puppies (cancelled before production)

Appearances

Ratatouille
Cars 2

Trivia

Gusteau's is based on the real Paris restaurant "La Tour d'Argent", even standing in the restaurant's real location and sharing its building design.
Gusteau's frozen foods are a parody of the "Chef Boyardee" brand of canned pastas, and even Anton Ego openly compares the late Gusteau's brand to "Monsieur Boyardee".
Auguste Gusteau himself was likely based on famed chef Bernard Loiseau, with Gusteau's depression from Anton Ego's criticism and following death mirroring Loiseau's own fate, who also fell victim to a very scathing review from noted food critic François Simon and many other critics shortly thereafter which greatly affected his and his restaurant's reputation, causing him to fall into a deep depression which eventually led to his suicide.

Gusteau's

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