Crazy that the youngsters don’t know this anymore. He was crazy in a good way. Him and HB were at the forefront of this movement. I wish I could have eaten there.
How is it a "fall" when the chef chose to close at a high point? What, the restaurant has to exist until the end of the universe to be a success? He still has other restaurants, remains very well respected, and his influence remains widespread. Only a bunch of business chuds who have never created anything real would characterize this as a failure.
While it's a fair point that Chef Ferran Adrià chose to close elBulli at the height of its success and influence, the case study aimed to analyze the restaurant's business model and innovation process through the lens of optionalities at scale. The goal was not to suggest elBulli "failed," but rather to explore how the principles of optionality could have been applied to extend elBulli's impact and lifespan. Great companies like Microsoft, Google and Nvidia have achieved long-term success precisely because they continuously explore new options and opportunities for growth, even when their core businesses are thriving. They understand that sustaining innovation requires ongoing experimentation and resource allocation to promising new ventures. In elBulli's case, the case study proposed that Chef Adrià could have leveraged elBulli's culinary innovations more aggressively through consulting, licensing, spin-offs, acquisitions, and cross-industry collaborations. These moves could have provided additional paths to extract value from elBulli's intellectual property and pioneering techniques. Pursuing such options wouldn't diminish Chef Adrià's artistry and accomplishments - if anything, it would amplify elBulli's influence and secure its legacy. Ultimately, the case study aimed to celebrate elBulli's groundbreaking approach to creativity while sparking a discussion about the business strategies that enable visionary ideas to flourish and endure. There are valuable lessons here for innovators across all industries about the power of optionality thinking. But you're absolutely right that Chef Adrià's achievements stand on their own, regardless of the restaurant's lifespan.
