Michelin Guide
For more information on Michelin 'issues', click below, 'A Guidebook to The World's Best Fine Dining Restaurants' at Amazon.
Founded in 1900 and originally conceived to encourage more tourists to take to the road using a free little red guidebook. Andre Michelin arrived at a tire shop to see his beloved guides being used to prop up a workbench. Based on the principle that “man only truly respects what he pays for”, a brand new MICHELIN Guide was launched in 1920 and sold for seven francs. It included a list of hotels in Paris, lists of restaurants according to specific categories, as well as the abandonment of paid-for advertisements in the guide. Acknowledging the growing influence of the guide’s restaurant section, the Michelin brothers also recruited a team of mystery diners – or restaurant inspectors, as we better know them today – to visit and review restaurants anonymously. In 1926, the guide began to award stars to fine dining establishments, initially marking them only with a single star. Five years later, a hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was introduced, and in 1936, the criteria for the starred rankings were published. The guide now rates over 40,000 establishments in over 24 territories across three continents, and more than 30 million Michelin Guides have been sold worldwide since.
Source: History of the Michelin Guide. (n.d.). Guide.Michelin. Retrieved from:
https://guide.michelin.com/th/en/history-of-the-michelin-guide-th
It is considered the most influential and popular guide for world-class restaurants that can affect a restaurant's revenues more than all other guides combined. It uses a 3-star rating system, with 13 three stars in the United States and 31 in France in 2021.
Michelin Inspector’s 5 Restaurant Rating Criteria:
1. Quality of products
2. Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
3. The personality of the chef represented in the dining experience
4. Harmony of flavors (not below- mastery of flavors should cover this)
5. Consistency between inspectors’ visits
Restaurant inspectors do not look at the interior decor, table setting or service quality when awarding stars - these are instead indicated by the number of 'covers' it receives. They are represented by the fork and spoon symbol using 1 to 5 - quite comfortable to luxury.
Source: Michelin Guide Inspectors. (n.d.). Guide.Michelin. Retrieved from:
https://guide.michelin.com/th/en/michelin-guide-inspectors
Requirements to Qualify be a Critic
'The position requires a minimum of five years of relevant experience, being plugged into the latest restaurant openings, closings and updates, and "extensive international knowledge of ingredients, culinary techniques, cuisines and culinary fundamentals.'
Source: Apply to Be a Michelin Inspector. (n.d.). Guide.Michelin. Retrieved from:
https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-restaurant-inspector-job-opening-north-america
They are not exactly world expert qualification requirements compared to top chefs, restaurateurs, or top food magazine critics, but they have the company's team behind them for all the top restaurant decisions.
The Michelin Star Rating System
1 Star: A very good restaurant in its category.
2 Stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour.
3-stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
Michelin Guide Restaurants with 3 Michelin Stars
by Countries or Area in 2021
30- France (including Monaco)
30 - Japan
13 - United States
11 - Italy
11 - Spain
10 - Germany
10 - Hong Kong and Macau
8 - United Kingdom
3 - China
3 - Singapore
3 - Switzerland
3 - Belgium
2 - Denmark
2 - Netherlands
2 - South Korea
1 - Austria
1 - Sweden
1 - Taiwan
Source: List of Michelin 3-star restaurants. (2022). Wikipedia. Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Michelin_3-star_restaurants
Too Few Rating Levels
Three-star restaurants are very varied in caliber though they do meet minimum standards. Michelin pigeonholes thousands of restaurants into four categories of stars, including no stars. It is very limiting for such a vast range of quality. Another issue for some is that the range of fairly great differences between the 3-stars reduces its accuracy. Many say there are several restaurants in France and Switzerland that are given only 2-stars which would be 3-stars in another country like Japan. For example Les Crayères in Reims and L'Auberge de I'll in Illhaeusern.
Limited Scope in the United States
It is incomplete compared to other rating guides. They only review five regions in the United States - New York City, San Francisco area, Chicago, Miami, and the Washington DC area. They reviewed Las Vegas in 2009, which today has two Gayot top 19 rankings of only 6 total in the United States.
Restaurant's Time in Business
The newest restaurants will not receive 3-stars for typically two years or more. While this does avoid fast-burning stars that burn out quickly, many people would never the less like to have the option to know which restaurants are truly at this level at any given time. While others may prefer to have a new restaurant prove itself for a more extended period.
The Consistency Conundrum
Consistency, a cornerstone for Michelin, adds significant weight to the ranking for this 'very difficult to describe the guidelines' area as one of the top 5 areas they review. Other guides do not comment on whether they judge this, which has led to some saying there is a level of 'unfairness'. Consistency also includes requiring a restaurant to be open for much longer to qualify for a rating versus other guides, as mentioned previously. Consistency can be a rather nebulous key point to review. No restaurant can be perfect 100% of the time, so this can lead to more criticism for Michelin. No specific threshold is explained for how a star is lost in this area. What is the average customer's perspective? Would most accept an 'off night' dining experience more often than Michelin's threshold at the top 3-stars? The two most prolific and best French chefs in America for the number of fine dining restaurants they own or operate, Daniel Boulud with 15 and Jean-George with 49, are some of the only chef's in recent memory to lose their third star in the United States. Were they more closely scrutinized for inconsistency as it has to be assumed they have to be out of the restaurant so much or did the consistency become an issue? Remember, Gayot and Forbes have not reduced their rating. In France, similarly, Michel Trama(former chef of the year) and L'Auberge de l'Ill- Illhaeusern lost their third star but remained a Gault&Millau 19 or 19.5 and the same level for Andy Haler's guide. Gayot, Gault&Millau, and Haler seem to be more loyal to the older, most talented, and skilled chefs in their ranking, whereas Michelin does not reflect that but instead focuses on the restaurant's execution. One could argue for either position.
Asia Versus European Ratings- Disparities Between Countries
Many wonder how Japan can have (30) 3-stars, the same as France. Also, Hong Kong has no 18 or 19 rated restaurant per Gayot and three per Andy Haler, yet has more 3-stars than the United Kingdom and three times as many as Switzerland and China. That makes little sense to many. Ratings from other guides for Japan generally have half as many 3-star 'level' restaurants. Some say the standard of a three-star restaurant in France or Switzerland is likely to be higher, including a much higher level of innovation, than in many of the newer Asian guides or Japan.
Summary - Preferred Usage
My first or second favorite guide to find the top fine dining restaurants ratings in France, the five top United States markets, and some other countries. It is the only truly worldwide guidebook, with a few exceptions, like the United States. An excellent guide for knowing what are the top restaurants in the area and updated better than other guides. For a clear minimum standard for fine dining or a single star, Michelin does a better job than other guides. It is not so good for wanting a more defined breakdown in the rating or, ultimately, determining a 'pecking order' for those that would like this.