Bill Gates Once Reserved A Michelin Star Restaurant For Two Days Just To Order A Soda

When you’re one of the wealthiest people in the world, it lets you do things that make absolutely no sense to most common folk. Add Michelin star chef Jordi Cruz’s peculiar story about Bill Gates to the list of “Things Only Rich People Can Do.” 

According to Newsweek, Gates booked out Cruz’s award-winning ABaC restaurant for two days during a visit to Barcelona. Oddly enough, when Gates arrived, he only ordered a soda and left. Only his entourage ate actual food. While talking to mountaineer Jesús Calleja on the online show Planeta Calleja, Cruz recalled the curious and confusing experience:

“Some time ago, Bill Gates came to the restaurant. Everyone came with him… his 25 bodyguards, entourage. Bill booked out the whole restaurant, just for him. We had prepared the best and biggest for him and his team. And do you know what Bill did? He ordered a Diet Coke and went back to his plane.”

ABaC restaurant’s tasting menu costs $313, and includes whipped hazelnut butter with bread crusts and caviar, guineafowl flame-roasted with corn, foie gras, sesame and black mole sauce, and a globe of lollipops with strawberry kakigōri, milk chocolate, and tonka beans. Just to give you an idea of how pricey a Michelin starred location can be.

The retelling of the Gates story was inspired by the online show Planeta Calleja, which follows mountaineer Jesús Calleja and Cruz as they travel around Thessaly, a region in Central Greece. They explore the region to learn about local cuisine, which gives them the opportunity to share their career experiences. 

This is the first time Cruz shared the story since he initially told it over seven years ago, and seems to be as perplexed about Gate’s reasoning now as he was then. “He didn’t try anything?” asked Calleja. “Zero,” replied Cruz.