You may have heard about the Michelin Guide, but there is a good chance you still have a lot of questions about this prestigious award.
In this article, we will attempt to answer some common questions about the Guide and what it means for a restaurant to earn Michelin stars.
1. Does the Michelin Guide have any link with the tire company Michelin?
Yes, the Michelin company that makes or breaks fine dining establishments around the world is the same company that manufactures tires.
The Michelin brothers, André and Édouard, started the Michelin Guide in 1900. The French entrepreneurs had started a tire company 11 years earlier, and they decided that a ratings guide for hotels and restaurants would compel the limited number of drivers at the time to wear out their tires faster and buy more.
As the tire company grew, so did their guide. They launched country-specific editions throughout Europe that became popular enough to compel the brothers to start charging for the booklets in 1920.
The first Michelin star ratings were given in 1926. The restaurants, all of which were in France, were awarded a single star if they were deemed a “fine dining establishment.” In 1931, the rating system expanded to become the three-star system that continues today.
2. What are the criteria to be awarded a Michelin star?
Only the quality of the cuisine offered by restaurants is assessed by Michelin inspectors, according to 5 international criteria set by the Michelin Guide:
- The personality of the chef represented in the cuisine
- The harmony of flavors
- The mastery of cooking techniques
- The quality of the ingredients
- Consistency, both over time and across the entire menu
Importantly, any restaurant can qualify for Michelin stars. Restaurants do not need to apply or pay any fee to be included in the guide.
3. What are the criteria to be awarded a Michelin star?
According to the guide itself:
- One MICHELIN Star is awarded to restaurants using top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavors are prepared to a consistently high standard.
- Two MICHELIN Stars are awarded when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired.
- Three MICHELIN Stars is the highest award, given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession; their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics.”
4. Are decoration, service, and wine list rating criteria?
It’s a common misconception. The Guide Michelin focus is in fact solely food. Really!
They are stating it clearly in such words “A Michelin Star is awarded for the food on the plate – nothing else. The style of a restaurant and its degree of formality or informality have no bearing whatsoever on the award. “ .
Regarding the wine list – it may sound surprising but again according to the Michelin Website “ Restaurants that are serious about their food tend to also ensure they have an interesting wine list to complement it, so that element usually takes care of itself. “
5. Who get Michelin starts? Chefs or restaurants?
This is a very common and legitimate question for many people: Do Michelin stars follow chefs who leave for new restaurants, and do restaurants lose stars when a new chef takes over?
The short answer is no – Michelin stars cannot be assigned to individual chefs. As Michelin has clearly stated: “There is no concept of a Michelin-starred chef.” This means even acclaimed chefs like Alain Ducasse, who has the most Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, are not termed “Michelin-star chefs.”
If a chef leaves a restaurant, they cannot take the awarded star with them. Michelin stars are considered the result of the whole team’s efforts, so the stars remain with that restaurant until the next annual review.
Logically a chef who heads a Michelin-starred restaurant cannot automatically transfer the star to a new restaurant elsewhere. They must strive to earn the star at the new venue based on the same criteria and regulations.
In Vietnam, we sometimes see hotels or restaurants advertised as having a “Michelin chef.” This is often just ambiguous marketing – as of 2023, Vietnam has only four Michelin-starred restaurants.
6. Is the Michelin Guide only awarding Western fine dining cuisine?
It’s true that the Guide has been criticized as biased towards French cuisine and techniques, favoring what some view as formal, “snobby” dining.
But in our view, this is a big misconception. The Guide has had no issue awarding its maximum 3-star rating to numerous restaurants offering traditional Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine.
And regarding claims of “formal/snobby” bias, it’s worth noting the Michelin Guide has awarded one star to some street food stalls, such as Jay Fai in Thailand.
7. How do Michelin Guide inspectors rate a restaurant??
Restaurants are (in theory) visited several times per year by different inspectors of the guide. They remain anonymous during their visits to ensure restaurants are unaware they are being inspected.
Once several inspectors have dined at a restaurant, they discuss their experiences as a team to decide whether or not to award one or more stars.
It should be noted inspectors are usually not attached to a specific country. They are encouraged to evaluate restaurants globally in order to maintain consistent standards for the guide.
8. Can a Restaurant lose a Star?
Yes of course: Stars are not forever…
Michelin Stars is a yearly award which means that all restaurants are reassessed regularly and that each new edition of the guide can mean losing or winning a Star.
9. What are the other awards given by the Michelin Guide?
The Guide Michelin is not only about the Stars.
The Guide first lists many restaurants in each local edition offering “high standard cooking” without granting awards. While not as prestigious as “starred” venues, these are usually more affordable.
There are also two other awards:
- The Bib Gourmand highlights restaurants offering “great value and skillful cooking at an affordable price.”
- More recently, the Guide introduced the “Green Star” awarded to role model sustainable gastronomy restaurants. It launched in the 2020 France Guide and is now featured in additional countries.
We sometimes use these recommendations during our travels and find them valuable. Remember, you can access all reviews on the Guide website without buying the physical guide.
10. Is there a Michelin Guide in every country?
No, the guide has a presence in just under 40 countries. Asia only started being covered in 2007 with the inclusion of Tokyo.
You could say a lot is still missing, but considering the review process, “opening” a new country is not easy.
It should be noted that the Guide is often financially supported by local tourism authorities to enter a country, as having Michelin-starred restaurants is considered beneficial for tourism development.
For example, the Michelin Guide arrived in Thailand with support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
11. Has the Michelin Guide a presence in Vietnam?
Yes, 2023 saw the guide awarding stars in Vietnam for the first time, with selections in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The arrival of the Guide in the country was made possible thanks to a controversial partnership with Sun Group.
103 restaurants were included in the Guide in 2023 and one Michelin Star was awarded to 3 restaurants in Hanoi, and 1 restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.
We have compiled all the information related to the Michelin Guide selection in Vietnam with restaurant details and our in-depth opinion in a dedicated article:
Michelin Guide: An opinion on the first awards given in Vietnam
