Michelin restaurant rating
The popular series of annual tourist guides, or Le Guide Michelin (Michelin Guide), offers an overview of European hotels and restaurants, awarding them distinctive Michelin stars. The first guidebook was published by André Michelin in 1900 and distributed free of charge for over twenty years. Since 1926, the distinctive stars have become part of the Michelin guide tradition, where initially the best restaurants were recognized, but later excellence in other areas was also recognized.
The Michelin restaurant rating is perhaps the most recognizable of all culinary ratings across Europe. Only the most outstanding restaurants with the highest quality of service are awarded stars in the Michelin guide. You can earn from one to three stars, depending on the quality level of the restaurant. Stars are awarded infrequently in this guide, so that only a handful of restaurants out of the several thousand listed have actually received at least one star.
One Michelin star means “very good in its category”. Two stars – “excellent cuisine, worth a visit”, and three stars – “exceptional cuisine, for which it is worth a special visit.” In the restaurant business, Michelin Stars are taken extremely seriously. In keeping with their reputation, starred restaurants can easily charge much more for their food than the average restaurant would have to pay.
From 1955 to the present, the Michelin Guides have published descriptions of restaurants that offer what they call “good food at reasonable prices”, listing products and maximum prices. This feature is known as the Bib Gourmet, the so-called Michelin Man on the Michelin company’s century-old logo.
According to Michelin inspector Pascal Remy, who wrote a candid book in 2004, Michelin claims to reprice every restaurant after 18 months. However, in fact, the inspectors were regularly visiting about 4,000 restaurants in three and a half years, which means that their standards have become less stringent. Pascal Remy, candidly stated that until a specific complaint is received, Michelin inspectors visit the restaurants being evaluated much less often than they claim. Of course, Remy was fired, which is a clear indication of the veracity of his words.
Many international restaurant critics decried the Michelin rating system on the grounds that the rating unfairly leans towards French cuisine, as the Michelin Guide is published in France by a French company. The New York Times spoke out about hiding the stars of highly rated establishments in the New York City Restaurant Guide, while more than half of the restaurants that did receive stars serve French cuisine.
Does the Michelin Guide publish biased opinions or not? The Michelin Guide is an excellent overview of high-end restaurants around the world. If you’re looking for the very best local cuisine has to offer, pick up the Michelin Guide to Restaurants and let it guide you on an amazing journey through the world of delicious delicacies that restaurants have to offer.
