All food lovers know that the Michelin Star is the accolade that all restaurants aim for, with three Michelin Stars being the crème de la crème in the restaurant world. The Michelin Guide originated from brothers, Andre and Edouard Michelin, who wanted to boost their tyre company by publishing a guide for drivers with maps and such, to boost car and tyre sales. In the 1920s the guide began to include hotels and restaurants in Paris, they soon started using mystery diners which they used to begin awarding restaurants with a Michelin Star. In 1931 the guide began the tiered star levels to designate the superiority of restaurants, becoming very similar to the classifications of today. However, the modern-day Michelin Guide classifications can be quite confusing between the different star levels, bib gourmands, and Michelin plates. The Michelin Guide recently released an excellent smartphone app to find Michelin Guide restaurants which I highly recommend. I am here to try and clarify what each classification means and will compare the Michelin guides to other awards in future posts.
3 Michelin Stars: “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey” – Michelin Guide
2 Michelin Stars: “Excellent cooking, worth a detour” – Michelin Guide
1 Michelin Star: “A very good restaurant in its category” – Michelin Guide
Green Star: First introduced this year, the Green Star represents ” restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices. They hold themselves accountable for both their ethical and environmental standards, and work with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce or even remove plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain” (Michelin Guide).
Bib Gourmand: “Restaurants gauged to be both good quality and good value” (Michelin Guide) – Good value has to meet the criteria of the diner being able to three courses for under £28 or $40 retrospectively. (Do NOT miss out on these restaurants if you happen to find yourself near one!)
Michelin Plate: “Simply serve good food” – Michelin Guide
