How Michelin Tires Created The Highest Honor A Restaurant Can Have

Anyone who follows culinary industry trends, considers themselves a "foodie," or loves to dine out is probably familiar with the Michelin Star rating system. Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants that exemplify the very best of their class and category. Eateries that are recognized with one, two, or three stars inevitably gain status and, therefore, business. For many chefs and restaurant owners, it is the highest honor they can achieve. Michelin-starred restaurants are compiled into books called "Michelin Guides," which are typically categorized by country. Interestingly enough, Michelin did not originate with an aim to critique restaurants. It was, first and foremost, a tire company.

Michelin produces automobile tires to this day. The French-based company was started by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin in 1889 as France's automobile industry was in its infancy. With the intention of creating more interest in personal cars (and, therefore, tires), the siblings released their first Michelin Guide in 1900 in France. The guides were free to anyone who wanted one and included route maps, guidance on changing tires, along with anything that would help travelers have a more pleasant experience in the car, like restaurant, hotel, and gas station recommendations.

By 1920, the guides were being sold for a fee and were of better quality than a free guidebook full of advertisements. That was also the year the company began sending anonymous diners (known as inspectors) to restaurants to critique them. In 1926, Michelin began its famous star-rating system, focusing on eateries in France. Today, Michelin covers restaurants in 37 countries around the world, and the books are marked with the same logo the company uses on its tires — the one with the Michelin man, of course.

When Michelin first began rating restaurants in 1926, it awarded single stars to any eatery that met its specific criteria. In 1931, it altered the rating system, awarding one, two, or three stars. One star indicates a very good restaurant of its kind (for example, Italian, Mexican, seafood, etc.). Two stars indicate that an eatery is excellent and worth a visit, even if it's a bit outside your travel pathway. Three stars mean a restaurant is exceptional and worthy of your bucket list.

Michelin inspectors (the people who critique the restaurants) are notoriously difficult to spot. They are generally very good at staying anonymous, and even if a restaurant was able to correctly identify one, Michelin doesn't award stars based on a single inspector or a single visit. Multiple inspectors will have dined at a potential star-winner at different times of day for both lunch and dinner. Based on the consensus, stars are or are not awarded.

Winning just one star is a major accomplishment for a restaurant. However, because of the pressure a potential Michelin award can put on chefs and restaurants, some have grown to see the stars as distractions. There is increasing encouragement to stop worrying about Michelin stars. There can be such duress associated with the process that it takes away from the goal of producing delicious food for every diner, not just inspectors. Further tension can result from trying to keep the status, as Michelin stars can also be taken away. Still, a restaurant with a red and white Michelin plaque indicating a star has been awarded is a great triumph that diners take notice of.