Haunted by the Michelin Man (and other Gourmet Ghouls)

It's Halloween, and with it comes the perfect excuse to round up some of the spookiest stories coming out of the world's most haunted restaurants.

From the ghost of the Michelin Man, to the chefs that refuse to RIP, discover the restaurants where you get a side-order of the supernatural.

1. Haunted by the Michelin Man

Hay River's Back Eddy Restaurant, Canada

Several chefs might have felt haunted by Michelin, but few can lay claim to having the Michelin Man walk through their restaurants on an evening.

Except, that is, for Linda Duford, the previous owner of Hay'River's Back Eddy Restaurant in Canada, which she claims, was haunted by the Michelin Man - of sorts.

The story dates back to 2006, when a large man from Fort Resolution died. He was so large, in fact, that there wasn't a casket sufficient to house his body, leaving him to be transported to Hay River wrapped in a big white sheet instead.

It's around this time that Duford reports that she and her father first saw a "rather large, ghostlike man appear near the restaurant's door, wearing a big puffy jacket ... who looked like the Michelin Man," she told the CBC. 

The Michelin man is even thought to be a bit of a prankster, returning the next night to play pranks on two women at a table near the bar. 

2. A Haunting Tale of Customer Revenge

Traveler Inn Hua Qia, Beijing

Formerly known as Buma Inn, the hotel located in Beijing, opened in 1953, is known as one of the most haunted spots in the city.

Legend has it that it is haunted by the spirit of a previous diner who was poisoned by the restaurant’s former head chef, who later went on to stab himself to death.

Nicknamed the 'Berserker', the vengeful spirit still roams the restaurant and hotel in search of the chef who killed him. History doesn't relate what was on the menu that fateful night.

3. Table for one... Ghoul

Muriel’s, New Orleans

Dine out at Muriel's in New Orleans and you might find yourself a kindred spirit, for here the resident ghost, otherwise known as Mr. Jourdan, has a nightly reservation, with a table set complete with fresh bread and wine.

It's thought to be the ghost of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, the previous owner of the property, who lost his house in a poker game over a century ago, and became so inconsolable at having to leave his beloved home, that he committed suicide on the second floor.

If one spirit wasn't enough to contend with, there's another, slightly more mischievous one in the courtyard bar, that's been known to throw and smash glasses at the wall. 

4. The Chef who Refuses to RIP

Brennan’s Restaurant, New Orleans

Order "Bananas foster" at this destination New Orleans restaurant and you might get a tableside flambe with a fright. So popular is Brennan's Restaurant in the old French Quarter, that chef Paul Blangé is a permanent fixture in the kitchen. "No one ever thought Chef Blange would leave Brennan’s, and apparently, he never did," says Jimmy Brennan, an owner of the establishment. But the mystery deepens, since Chef Blange has been dead for over 40 years. 

So dedicated was Chef Blange, that he was buried with the restaurant's menu and a knife and fork across his chest. Even to this day, he stays behind for the night shift. When the customers have gone and staff are locking up, Chef Paul is said to bang doors and pots in the empty kitchen.

Meanwhile, down in the wine cellar, the spirit of Herman Funk, the sommelier who helped build the restaurant's legendary collection of booze, refuses to rest in peace and and now signals his selections to servers by clinking bottles.