Protection of culinary knowledge generation in Michelin-Starred Restaurants. The Spanish case

Restaurants with Michelin stars are places for culinary creation and innovation. Scientific literature has provided increasing attention to gastronomy and this type of haute cuisine establishments. However, the treatment that scientific literature has given to knowledge protection in these restaurants is still not enough, especially regarding the influence of three fundamental aspects of its strategic definition: the type of gastronomic experience, the means of managing creativity and the type of innovative process. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyse the influence exerted on the protection of knowledge by the three referred aspects, specifically in Spanish restaurants with Michelin stars. The main conclusion reached is that the protection of knowledge (of a contextual nature) is stimulated by two factors: the application of a process of innovation based on techniques (beyond mere trial and error) and the design of gastronomic experiences guided by excellence of the customer service. This specifies a certain archetype of a more complex restaurant from the point of view of its way of conceiving innovation and the creation of experiences.