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I love to dine out. Living in New York City, I’m privileged to have access to amazing restaurants day and night.
Excluding food allergies, I’m not a picky eater. So, I don’t always look at a menu before visiting a restaurant. But I do sometimes see if a restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star.
But what does it mean when a restaurant has a Michelin star? Does it mean it’s expensive? Not necessarily. Does it mean the food is exceptional? Yes.
We wanted to understand more about the dining badge of honor, so we spoke to Michelin Guide’s International Director Gwendal Poullennec and the guide’s “Anonymous Chief Inspector” for North America about what they mean and how the awards began.
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What does it mean to receive a Michelin star?
The Michelin Guide evaluates a restaurant’s dining program. Plain and simple. Service quality and elements such as restaurant decor are communicated in “inspector notes,” but the decision to give a Michelin Guide Award is based only on the food served. That means that Michelin stars can be earned by any level of dining establishment — even mom-and-pops.
“Receiving a Michelin Guide distinction is a career milestone for restaurants and their teams. It’s an honor that many chefs have worked for years to achieve,” Poullennec says. “But it’s also becoming part of a family, made up of the most talented culinary professionals in the world. Lives change almost overnight. Restaurants included in the Michelin Guide see increased attention from foodies, and reservations become highly sought-after.”
Who gives Michelin stars?
Poullennec explains that Michelin’s anonymous inspectors — who all have a background in the culinary world — use Michelin’s criteria to award “as many stars as a destination deserves to have.”
To try food at this many restaurants each anonymous inspector attends more than 300 restaurants annually — for lunches and dinners up to five days per week.
They check out places that “people are really loving” or a restaurant that has “some sort of traditional history” or a restaurant “woven into the fabric” of the region it sits in, the Anonymous Chief Inspector says.
How many Michelin stars are there?
There are five Michelin Guide Award distinctions beyond being a “Recommended” restaurant.
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 star
- Bib Gourmand
- Green star
The highest number of Michelin stars that can be awarded to a restaurant is three. “That means that it’s a really unique and memorable experience, providing exceptional food,” Poullennec says.
Right now, there are 142 3-star establishments around the globe. When the 2022 California selection was announced in December, Addison in San Diego was promoted to 3 stars.
Michelin stars are awarded for quality of food based on five factors listed on the Michelin site:
- Quality of ingredients used
- Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
- The personality of the chef in their cuisine
- Value for money
- Consistency between visits
Bib Gourmands focus on quality but on a different scale than the Michelin stars. Gourmand level restaurants are restaurants that offer “very high quality at a very good value,” the Anonymous Chief Inspector says. “So, that is a restaurant that you could walk into and have two courses and the glass of wine or desserts for under $50.”
And the Green Star award, introduced in January 2019 globally and in the U.S. in 2020, is meant for leaders in “sustainable gastronomy.” It’s a complementary distinction — so, all restaurants are eligible to win it alongside any Michelin Awards earned.
What cities does Michelin Guide include?
The Michelin Guide has grown a considerable amount in the last century or so. While the publication started off just in France, there are now 64 guide selections worldwide.
Some selections are specific to areas within a country and others represent an entire nation. So, for example, in Belgium, there’s the Michelin Guide Belgium whereas in the U.S. there are Michelin Guides for New York, Miami and California, among others.
Does a chef earn a Michelin star or a restaurant?
Michelin stars are won by restaurants, though there are categories for chefs to win individual awards as well.
“We also use the Michelin star revelation to highlight those extra facets of the dining experience such as the wine service, the cocktail program, the pastry program, and then, for instance for New York for this year, we are highlighting a young chef and a mentor chef as well,” the Anonymous Chief Inspector says.
When did the Michelin Guide start?
The Michelin Guide had its start in the late 19th century, according to its website.
In France, in 1889, Edouard and Andre Michelin launched their tire company, Michelin. Seeking to help their customer base plan trips — in hopes of boosting the sales of automobiles and tires — they developed a guide that listed places to dine and stay overnight along with where to get fuel and how to change a tire. In 1920, they published their first Michelin Guide that cost money (it was sold for seven francs).
The Michelin Guide arrived in the U.S. in November 2005 with a New York edition for 2006. The first issuance included 39 stars — including chef Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin and chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se, both of which earned 3-stars.
In 2022, the New York selection included 73 stars, when announced in October.
Which restaurants have been on the list the longest?
Some restaurants have some serious staying power when it comes to Michelin stars.
Since the guide’s New York launch:
- Le Bernardin and Per Se have maintained 3 stars
- Daniel has kept 2 stars
- Jean-Georges has held onto 2 stars (originally it was awarded 3-star status in the 2006 selection)
- Masa has earned 3 stars (started with 2-stars in 2006)
- The Modern has 2 stars (awarded one in 2006).
The French Laundry, in the Napa Valley, has earned 3-stars since 2007.
And in France, one restaurant, Georges Blanc in Vonnas, earned its first star in 1929. Since 1981, it has held 3-stars.
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