After Carmy announces his intention to once again pursue the favor of the Michelin Guide, Chicago restauranteur Donnie Madia gives the kitchen staff a crash course on how to spot a member of the Michelin team in episode 2. This is particularly important after The Bear dropped the ball with a Chicago Tribune reviewer. According to Madia, Michelin representatives operate secretively – often giving a pseudonym based on a local neighborhood name or something similar.
Sure enough, a well-dressed mystery man named Mr. Clark (Gary Janetti) stops by The Bear for a solo dining experience in the very next episode, with “Clark” happening to be the name of a prominent Chicago street cutting through Wrigleyville. Though the viewer has been primed to spot someone like Mr. Clark from a mile away, Richie and the rest of The Bear hospitality staff don’t seem to clock him as a VIP. Thankfully, however, their new strategy of treating every diner like a VIP pays immediate dividends.
Mr. Clark looks on in genuine joy and astonishment as a nearby guest is gifted a bespoke Chicago Beef dish to celebrate being cancer-free. After the meal, Mr. Clark follows the guest’s family out into the restaurant’s lot where Richie and company have arranged for a snow machine to blanket the outdoor seating, creating a wintry Chicago experience they’ve always dreamed of. Combined with Clark’s glowing review of Chef Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) scallop dish, it is a stone cold lock that The Bear just earned its first Michelin Star. Hell, it might have gotten two of them for that display!
In case you missed it, The Bear is absolutely getting it’s Michelin star next season after that guy ate Sydney’s better than perfect scallop and saw their magic snow moment for the other guests. Clark Street is right in front of Wrigley Field. Homerun baby. ⚾️💫 pic.twitter.com/1J6js7yOFw
— chefkids (@girlflopping) June 29, 2025
Notably, The Bear has not yet been renewed for a fifth season yet with FX chairman John Landgraf telling Variety that the show’s future comes down to whether creator Christopher Storer feels he has more story to tell. It’s possible then that Storer simply decided to covertly stick a happy ending for the series into season 4’s third episode. Should The Bear continue, however, the arrival of a Michelin star won’t necessarily mean an end of drama.
That’s the thing about goals: life continues on even after you reach them. If Carmy couldn’t achieve inner peace after earning stars at previous restaurants how will he or Syd do so after earning one at their own spot? Compound that with the fact that Carmy has already “quit” The Bear and you have the potential for all sorts of complicated feelings and responsibilities to come.
