A Michelin star is one of the highest honors a chef can receive. It’s a coveted award that sets apart the best restaurants in the world from the rest. But who gives Michelin stars and how are they awarded?
Michelin stars are awarded by an anonymous group of inspectors from the Michelin Guide. The inspectors are all experienced professionals in the culinary industry and have been trained to evaluate restaurants on various criteria, including quality of ingredients, creativity, level of service, atmosphere, and overall value.
The inspectors visit each restaurant multiple times before awarding a Michelin star. They also remain completely anonymous throughout their visits so that they can provide an unbiased assessment of each restaurant. After each visit, they provide detailed feedback to their supervisors at the Michelin Guide.
The supervisors then review all the feedback from all the inspectors and decide which restaurants deserve a Michelin star.
Typically, only restaurants that consistently provide an exceptional dining experience receive a Michelin star. However, there are exceptions to this rule if a restaurant has particularly outstanding dishes or is located in an area with few other high-end dining options.
Once a restaurant receives a Michelin star, it can keep it for up to three years before potentially being upgraded or downgraded depending on its performance during subsequent visits by Michelin inspectors. Restaurants that consistently perform well over time may be upgraded to two or three stars while those that fail to meet high standards may be downgraded or even lose their stars entirely.
Conclusion:
Michelin stars are awarded by an anonymous group of experienced professionals from the Michelin Guide who evaluate restaurants based on quality of ingredients, creativity, level of service, atmosphere, and overall value. The decision as to which restaurants receive a star is made by supervisors at the Guide after reviewing feedback from all inspectors who visit each restaurant multiple times before making their decision. Restaurants that consistently perform well may be upgraded or downgraded depending on subsequent visits by inspectors.