The Michelin drive : is it time for grounded theorizing 3.0?

In this methodological, exploratory paper, which is based on thin empirical input combined with strong theorizing, we explore the question of whether it is time for a new generation of grounded theorizing. The context of the study is the landscape of haute cuisine, specifically the Michelin-starred restaurants, in Hungary. The research context was chosen as until recently there were no Michelin-starred restaurants in Hungary but their number has very quickly increased to 9 and it seems that this trend will continue. This provides an opportunity for making observations over time as well as asking research participants about their lived experience of the change they and their restaurants have undergone, which will help us understand how these restaurants strategize creativity. This paper focuses on the methodological aspect of the underlying study into strategizing creativity, in which we were trying to preserve as much as possible of the rich data we are gathering. In contrast, we have little data available about our methodological choices, which means that the study of this paper, that can be termed a meta-methodological inquiry, features thin data.