“I'm a big believer in winging it. I'm a big believer that you're never going to find the perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one.”
Anthony Bourdain
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Luck is not a business model.
About this quote
Meaning
The line is a sharp reminder that hope and good fortune are not strategies. In any serious professional endeavor, relying on things going your way by chance is not a plan; it is the absence of one. Bourdain is pushing back against wishful thinking and encouraging a more clear-eyed, disciplined approach to making decisions and building something that lasts.
Context
Bourdain came up through the restaurant industry, which is notoriously difficult and has very high failure rates. He understood from experience that kitchens, and small businesses generally, collapse when the people running them mistake a lucky streak for solid fundamentals. This kind of direct, no-nonsense observation was characteristic of the way he spoke about the business side of food, cutting through romanticism with practical honesty.
About the author
Anthony Bourdain worked in professional kitchens for many years before becoming a widely read author and television personality. His insider knowledge of how restaurants actually function gave his commentary on the food industry a credibility that set him apart from critics who only experienced dining from the other side of the pass. He was known for speaking plainly about hard truths, whether the subject was kitchen culture, travel, or the realities of running a hospitality business. He remained an influential voice in food and culture until his death in 2018.
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“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only at Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head?”
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Share this quote
“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only at Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head?”
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