Sometimes you hear one of the judges owns a restaurant with one or two Michelin stars. I know its some sort of excellence rating but I have no idea what it means or how it came about. I suspect that unless you are a serious foodie, you don't know much more than me.
A Michelin star recognizes the excellence of the restaurant. One star means its good, two stars is better, and three stars indicates a place requiring reservations months in advance. Not all Michelin star eateries are fancy restaurants. There is one street food vender in Bangkok, Thailand who has been awarded one. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that if you receive any starts you will keep them for the rest of your career. Famous chefs have lost their stars when the quality slipped.
The Michelin star originated in France by the Michelin brothers who published a guide rating restaurants in addition to owning a tire company. They began publishing the guide in 1889 as a way of encouraging the driving population of 300 to take longer trips and thus resulting in drivers purchasing more tires. The guide included where touring drivers could find the best restaurants and hotels.
The Michelin Guide took a hiatus between 1914 and 1918 due to World War I but quickly resumed publication again and they began charging for it. In addition, the publishers quit accepting advertisements
In 1920, the focus of the guide changed a bit due to the popularity of the guide. The Michelin guide began sending three undercover inspectors to visit and rate the restaurants using a three star scale still in use today. At the time, a one star indicated the restaurant was good, a two star meant the place had great food and was worth the detour, while a three star let people know the food at this establishment was so good, it was worth a special trip but they focused more on the dining experience and food in France around 1926.
By 1933, 23 places in France had three star ratings and the guide began awarding stars to restaurants in other European countries but its publication was suspended through World War II just after the 1939 edition which contained maps with routes going around invading armies. The first few editions after World War II only had two stars due to the food shortages resulting from the war.
It resumed fully in 1951 with the three star system returning but the requirements changed so fewer restaurants received three stars. In 2005, the company published the first American Michelin guide focusing on the New York area but in the following years, the are expanded till it is now rates restaurants in 23 countries.
Due to the size of the United States, the Michelin guide only rates restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and San Francisco. When a restaurant receives stars, it adds to their marketing appeal but some restaurants have given back their stars for a variety of reasons. The small one person street vendor in Bangkok wants to give the star back because more people are coming to check out her establishment, do so because of its star.
So now you know about the Michelin star. I don't care about the star, I just want to make sure it has food I can eat and tastes good. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.
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