Michelin Star Rating - What is it?

Odds are that when you think of Michelin, you think of tires? After all, the hardy pieces of round rubber that keep your vehicle traveling smoothly are what Michelin has built its empire on. All around the world, people recognize the quality of Michelin and its friendly mascot, Bibendum (but I would bet you didn’t know that tire guy had a name!).

What a lot of people probably do not know is that Michelin has divisions dedicated to other business enterprises. This is not unusual for a large company, but what set Michelin apart is how very different their other divisions are from the tire production.

So what are the areas in which Michelin has diversified? Well, in a word, Michelin has a long history in the tourism industry. On reflection, this makes sense, as hitting the road is really what tires and tourism are both about.

There are three specific areas of the tourism industry for which Michelin is known. They publish road maps, run an online mapping service know as ViaMichelin, and each year produce two guidebook series known as The Red Guide and the Green Guide. We are going to talk about the Red Guide in the remainder of this article.

What is the Red Guide?

Michelin’s Red Guide is a book series dealing with hotels and restaurants. As you might expect, Michelin includes maps in their Guides for the locations that they discuss. But what good is just a map if you don’t have any idea what to expect?

That is why Michelin has come up with their own rating system to indicate the quality of the hotels and restaurants they include in the Red Guide. Michelin actually has one of the oldest rating systems in the tourist industry, having developed their three star systems back in 1900. In fact, this system is the most recognized and influential rating systems in Western Europe!

Part of what sets the Michelin rating system apart is that it is very exclusive. Not all restaurants receive a star; this does not necessarily indicate that the hotel or restaurant is poor, but rather that it is not what Michelin judges to be superior quality. Here is what the start system means:

1 Star: Very good restaurant in its category
2 Stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour
3 Stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special trip

Restaurants that do not receive a coveted and exclusive star are still rated, but using a forks and knives system. So if you do happen to know of a restaurant that has received any number of Michelin stars, you can be sure of its excellent quality.

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