The scores, uh, reviews, are in: Olympians talk about the hits and misses of Olympic Village food

Catering the entire Paris Olympics is no simple operation. In a day, the Olympic Village restaurant, which runs 24/7, puts out 40,000 meals and is run by 200 cooks.

To serve the needs and preferences of up to 15,000 athletes, it’s also essential to have variety on the menu. The chefs of Sodexo Live, the caterer of the Olympic Village restaurant, created over 500 recipes that span four different culinary themes (international, French, Asian, and African and Caribbean).

Despite the preparation put into the food at the Olympic Village restaurant, the Olympians have found that some dishes fall short of their gastronomic hopes. (And that’s quite surprising, with France’s culinary history. Foundation of traditional techniques and all!)

Various athletes have gone viral for their food reviews, which, so far, makes it look like the Olympic Village restaurant is a hit or miss.

Among the reviews, desserts have emerged as the clear winners.

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, for example, has gained (and declared) himself a new identity: “I hereby declare myself as the Olympic muffin man,” he says in one TikTok, after dedicating several videos solely to the Olympic Village chocolate muffin.

Other Olympians have also been making TikToks in response, saying they “hope the muffin man doesn’t see this,” as they try the viral muffin for themselves.

The US women’s gymnastics team also voiced their displeasure with the restaurant’s food choices. “I don’t think we’re having proper French cuisine in the Village like you guys might be eating because you’re outside the Village,” gold medalist Simone Biles remarked in a press conference.

Gymnast Hezly Rivera echoed the sentiment, saying that the food they have at the dining hall is not the best “but it gets the job done.”

US volleyball player Erik Shoji also called his post-match midnight meal “not terrible, not great.”

Aleah Finnegan, a Fil-Am gymnast on the Philippine team, remarked on her tour of the cafeteria, “The food here, it’s good, [but] it’s not really seasoned.”

Here are some of our favorite food reviews and reactions straight from the Olympic Village:

@aleahfinn Dining hall tour & review👀 #fyp #foryou #olympicdininghall #olympics #paris2024 #olympicvillage ♬ Watermelon Sugar but sped up – Leah &lt3

@thelibero Paris food vlog! #olympics #usavolleyball #volleyballplayer #food ♬ original sound – Erik Shoji

@henrikchristians1 Olympic Village food review! A little surprise at the end too! Smash like and subscribe for part 2✌🏻 #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #foodreview @Olympics @paris2024 @Mr.Nicho ♬ original sound – Z7duckx_Music

@henrikchristians1 We have chocolate muffin before GTA 6 #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins #gta #gta6 ♬ GTA San Andreas Theme (Remake) – Ben Morfitt (SquidPhysics)

@simonebilesowens give me all the desserts 🥖🍡🧁🍭🍩🍨🍫🍰 #olympics #paris ♬ original sound – Taliaaa

@marslikethebar i have not finished a single meal since starting (I WORK AT THE OLYMPICS) #olympics #paris2024 #jo #jo2024 #teamusa #italy #olympics2024 ♬ Nobodys Fool – Seven11