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How does the Michelin guide choose which restaurants to award stars to?

Gisele Ledley

Hey! So you asked me how the Michelin guide chooses which restaurants to award stars to, and I think I can give you a pretty good answer!

First of all, it's important to understand that the Michelin guide is a highly respected restaurant guidebook that was first published in France in 1900 by the Michelin tire company. The guide uses anonymous inspectors who visit restaurants and rate them on a number of different criteria, including the quality of the ingredients, the execution of the dishes, the ambiance of the restaurant, and the overall level of service.

When it comes to awarding stars, the Michelin guide uses a three-star system. One star indicates "a very good restaurant", two stars mean "excellent cooking that is worth a detour", and three stars are reserved for "exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey".

So how do they choose which restaurants to award stars to? Well, first of all, the anonymous inspectors visit a LOT of restaurants. In fact, they visit thousands of restaurants every year, across all of the cities and regions that the Michelin guide covers.

When visiting a restaurant, the inspectors pay for their own meals and use a specially designed rating system to evaluate the food, service, decor, and overall experience. They also take notes and photos, and submit detailed reports back to the Michelin headquarters.

After gathering this information, a team of editors works to ensure consistency in the ratings, and ultimately decides which restaurants should be awarded stars. The process is very secretive and only a select few people know exactly how it works.

However, we do know that it's not just about the food - the Michelin guide also takes into account factors such as the location, the atmosphere, and the overall experience of dining at the restaurant.

So there you have it! Choosing which restaurants to award stars to is a very detailed and rigorous process, and it's one that the Michelin guide takes very seriously. It's why the guide is considered so highly respected in the culinary world, and why receiving a Michelin star (or two, or three!) is such a huge achievement for a restaurant.