What is a Michelin star and how can you get one?
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What is a Michelin star? Think of the Oscars for movies, the Emmys for television, or the Grammys for music. Just like those awards, Michelin stars equal prestige. They’re arguably the best accolade a restaurant can earn. They mean that you offer a dining experience that’s second to none and your excellent cooking is on point year-round. You have elevated yourself from owning a “good restaurant” to becoming a well-known hub of exceptional cuisine that would even impress the French.
In this article, we provide a more detailed answer to the question, “What is a Michelin star?” Then we briefly explain the rating system stipulated by the renowned Michelin Guide. Following that, we take you on a special journey through the U.S., letting you know where the Michelin-starred restaurants are (they’re not all in New York City). Finally, we give some tips on how one day you could earn your first Michelin star.
What is a Michelin star?
It may seem strange that a tire company from France has the final say about where the best restaurants in the world are. In the early days of driving, around 1900—way before Google Maps—Michelin released the inaugural version of their now world-famous Michelin Guide. The guides started out with maps, information on how to change tires, and where to find gas, hotels, and restaurants along popular routes. As the years went on, Michelin created a three-star rating system to grade the restaurants and the Michelin star was born.
Like most things that exhibit prestige, the Michelin Guide has been around for a long time. Over the years, their high standards combined with the mystery of anonymous inspectors have made restaurant owners worldwide dream of earning just a single star.
What is a Michelin star worth?
Only Michelin knows the exact details of their scoring system. But if there’s one thing we can glean, it’s that when it comes to your restaurant design, ambiance, and serving style, they simply don’t care.
According to an anonymous Michelin inspector who talked about their experience on the Michelin website, “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.”
Michelin doesn’t want people to think that only exclusive fine-dining establishments have a shot at earning a Michelin star rating. They have bestowed Michelin awards on all sorts of places. Nakiryu, a tiny ramen restaurant in Tokyo, has one star. Street food vendors in Thailand and Singapore have also been inducted into the star system.
To earn two stars, the personality of the chef must be reflected in the dishes. To achieve the coveted, nearly impossible three stars, the anonymous Michelin inspector says it takes a chef whose “cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics.”
Michelin also awards the Bib Gourmand, an alternative award given to chefs who cook with a simpler style at affordable prices. The cooking still has to meet their high standards, though.
Where are the Michelin-starred restaurants in America?
You can travel the world searching for a Michelin-star establishment, but you can easily find enough restaurants on U.S. soil high-quality enough to earn between one and three Michelin stars.
At the time of this writing, Michelin only reviews restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and California. We’ll highlight some notable restaurants in each region.
New York
As you would expect, many of the top Michelin restaurants can be found in NYC. You don’t have to fly to Japan to enjoy some of the world’s best sushi. Simply visit Masa. With Omakase at $750 per person, this is the type of three-starred Michelin restaurant that has given the guide the reputation of exclusivity.
Washington, D.C.
While there are 24 restaurants with a Michelin rating in Washington, D.C., only one has the coveted three-star restaurant rating. The Inn at Little Washington is a traditional-styled restaurant run by Patrick O’Connell, known as the “the Pope of American Cuisine.” There’s even a documentary about his rise to chef stardom.
Chicago
Illinois is in close competition with Washington D.C.—it’s home to 23 restaurants with Michelin stars, all of them in Chicago. Just like the nation’s capital, only one of these restaurants has earned the coveted three-star rating. Alinea serves modern cuisine and has also been named the second best restaurant in the world by Elite Traveler.
California
The Golden State is teeming with Michelin-starred restaurants—there are 98 from NorCal all the way down to San Diego. N/Naka is a two-starred Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles with two women at the forefront. In San Francisco, three-starred Quince features Californian contemporary cuisine with Italian influences.
What can you do to get a Michelin star?
According to Michelin, don’t worry about things like menu design and front-of-house experiences if your goal is to get a star for the first time. It’s all about the food. But of course, your priority should be looking after your diners, not chasing a prize. What is a Michelin star worth if your diners aren’t happy?
Michelin stars definitely create buzz though. Ending up in the world-famous Michelin Guide will get more diners through your doors than you’ll know what to do with.
We don’t know exactly what Michelin expects, but they have let a few things slip out over time. If your restaurant is located in one of the reviewed regions, make sure you get the following right:
- Ensure good quality of the ingredients
- Source food carefully
- Present dishes well
- Make sure the personality of the chef is evident in the dish
- Be consistent with quality
- Ensure the flavor is on point
What is a Michelin star to you?
We all have different levels of ambition and different reasons for starting a restaurant. Not everyone is Gordon Ramsay; we don’t all want to be the best. Many of us run restaurants because we are passionate about food and we want to feed our own little corner of the world. Gaining and losing a Michelin star can be an extremely difficult experience. But, nothing will put you on the map like a Michelin star.
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Get a demo to improve your front-of-house management today. Any future Michelin inspectors who come knocking will have a seamless experience from the moment they walk up to your restaurant.