The Michelin star is a rating system used by the Michelin Guide to grade restaurants on their quality. Restaurants that receive one, two, or three stars are deemed to be of excellent, very good, and good quality respectively. The stars are awarded by anonymous professional inspectors who visit each restaurant incognito and evaluate the food, service, atmosphere and price of the establishment.
The idea of a Michelin star is that it should be awarded based on the quality of the food and service alone. It is not intended that a restaurant should pay more money to get a higher rating – in fact the opposite is true. The Michelin Guide states: “No restaurant can pay for its stars”.
Michelin stars are expensive for restaurants to obtain in terms of time, effort and money – even if they do not have to pay for them directly. Restaurants must invest heavily in staff training and high-quality ingredients in order to meet the high standards expected by Michelin inspectors.
Unfortunately, some restaurateurs may try and use their star status as a way to increase prices. A restaurant with one or more stars may feel justified in charging higher prices than its competitors because of its status as an award-winning establishment.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, obtaining a Michelin star does not cost money directly but does require considerable investment from restaurants in terms of time, effort and resources. However, some restaurateurs may take advantage of their star status and use it as an excuse to raise prices above those charged by other establishments.