I could see this. During my senior year in high school I worked as a waiter at a four-star restaurant on Park Ave in Manhattan. The clientele included a lot of business execs working nearby and they often met for meetings. Some of the regulars were casual, friendly, and very cool, but then there were always a few who had a snobby and obnoxious air about them.
I like this as a psychological indicator, not just because of the employer-employee dynamic, but because I think it shows how one perceives their own self-worth, as well as that of others. If you're elitist and too self-absorbed in your own status, you're probably not well-suited for a lean merit-based culture and you're probably also going to be blind to spotting hidden talent in others as well.
Four star restaurant? The only internationally recognized star system for restaurants is the Michelin guide, which has a maximum of 3 stars. It really grates me that Americans go on about 4 star and 5 star restaurants
There's also an difference between the michelin system, where most restaurants get 0 stars and getting even one star is a biggish deal, and rating all restaurants from one to five, which is what the system used in the us seems to do.
Like the rating system on the web, it's useful for rating all things, not just the highest ranks.
The Michelin guide is also not particularly useful as a global system because it's heavily weighted towards french cuisine -- http://www.urbanspoon.com/blog/14/Fixing-Michelins-French-bi... -- and only serves major tourist destinations outside of europe -- six cities in the US for example.
The Michelin green guide, which is more the equivalent of other rating systems, does use a 1-5 scale.
I like this as a psychological indicator, not just because of the employer-employee dynamic, but because I think it shows how one perceives their own self-worth, as well as that of others. If you're elitist and too self-absorbed in your own status, you're probably not well-suited for a lean merit-based culture and you're probably also going to be blind to spotting hidden talent in others as well.