How to Earn a Michelin Star

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Get a headstart on earning a star with this in-depth guide
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Over 100 years ago, the Michelin tire company developed a guide to help French motorists find lodging on the road. These days, the Michelin Guide is now exclusively devoted to fine dining. Restaurants are rated with 1, 2, or 3 highly coveted stars. The process of earning a star is extremely secretive, and yet there are some guidelines that can be gleaned. By creating incredible food and getting the attention of Michelin, you can work toward earning a Michelin star.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Making Sure Your Food Meets the Guidelines

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  1. If you want to earn a Michelin star, you must use the very best ingredients. Forge relationships with local farmers, bakers, butchers, and cheese-makers. Aim to personally source unique, hard-to-find ingredients. Create a menu that uses the best ingredients in your region. [1]
    • Create seasonal dishes that reflect what grows in your region. For instance, in the winter months, you might use apples, squash, and leeks. In the summer, you might opt for berries, peaches, and tomatoes.
    • Focus on what your region does well. Use seafood if you are near the ocean; use dairy if you're in Wisconsin.
  2. Michelin inspectors will be looking for high-end dishes that are prepared perfectly. Create a kitchen environment that has high standards and places an emphasis on discipline. Remember to consider the way your food looks when it’s plated, and focus on the details of a dish. [2]
    • Maintain a spotless and organized kitchen.
    • Personally approve dishes before they hit the table.
    • Do not tolerate sloppy plating.
    • Plate dishes so that they are as beautiful as they are appetizing. We eat with our eyes first!
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  3. You want your food (and the chef behind your food) to stand out. You want high-quality dishes that are on the cutting edge of food trends. You want creative and innovative cuisine that displays your chef’s unique personality. This is how you can catch Michelin’s eye and hopefully earn a star. [3]
    • Be willing to try to new things.
    • Give your chef leeway to experiment with new foods.
    • Pay attention to what is happening in the culinary world by reading magazines, blogs, and newspapers.
  4. Michelin inspectors will order across your menu, and they will be evaluating your food for balance. You need your salads to be just as good as your pastas, and your fish needs to be just as good as your steak. Make sure every dish on your menu is high quality before asking an inspector to come. [4]
    • If certain dishes aren’t quite as good, consider removing them from your menu completely.
    • The number of items on your menu should not matter. Only offer the very best.
  5. Michelin inspectors will make anywhere from 3 to 10 anonymous visits to your restaurant. They will be making sure that your food quality stays consistent across these visits. Carefully train your staff and emphasize attention to detail. [5]
    • Treat every night as though it is the night of a Michelin inspection.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Getting Michelin’s Attention

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  1. Michelin only awards stars to restaurants located in certain regions. In the United States, this is limited to restaurants located in Washington D.C., New York City, the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, the East Bay and Wine Country, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas. [6]
  2. Michelin focuses specifically on "fine dining." Although this category is broad and a bit fluid, a fine dining establishment will cater to an upscale clientele and provide the highest quality of food. [7]
    • A fancy burger joint may have a harder time catching Michelin's attention.
  3. Maintain a nice-looking and up-to-date website that includes info about your location, your hours, your backstory, and your menu. Forge a social media presence using Facebook and Instagram. [8] Eventually begin to ask bloggers and food writers to do write-ups and reviews of your restaurant.
    • Do some research to find local bloggers who would be a good fit for your restaurant.
    • Connect with these people on social media. Share some of their stories.
    • Eventually, after building a relationship, reach out and invite them to visit your restaurant.
    • The stronger your media presence, the more likely Michelin is to take note.
  4. When your restaurant is ready, contact Michelin directly and ask for an inspection. Although it can take up to 12 months for Michelin to send an inspector, it could happen much sooner. Make sure that your restaurant is ready for an inspection at any time.
  5. If 1 or 2 particularly happy customers write to Michelin and encourage them to review your restaurant, this can be a good thing. However, Michelin does not respond well to letter writing tactics or other forms of advertising. Avoid trying to push them into reviewing your restaurant. Instead, focus your energy on making the very best food. [9]
  6. It could take up to 1 year before your restaurant receives its first inspection, and your restaurant might be visited anywhere from 3 to 10 times. If you have been lucky enough to get a star, you won’t know until the book comes out the following March. From start to finish, this process usually takes 2-3 years. [10]
    • In the rare event that a restaurant receives 2 or 3 Michelin stars, they may be contacted in advance.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How to get a second or even a third Michelin star?
    Nicholas Di Paolo
    Personal Chef
    Nicholas Di Paolo is a Personal Chef based in Sedona, Arizona. With over 30 years of restaurant experience, Chef Nick has worked in esteemed restaurants including Manhattan’s Raoul’s Bistro and Las Vegas' Foundation Room. Chef Nick has been featured in various publications including Time Out Magazine, Seven, Mountain Living, and the local news in New York City, Las Vegas, and Flagstaff. Chef Nick's Italian-America upbringing is the foundation of his private culinary services. Chef Nick offers buffet-style catering, wedding catering, and standard family dinner menus for clients. He attended the New York Restaurant School.
    Nicholas Di Paolo
    Personal Chef
    Expert Answer
    Earning a second Michelin star necessitates maintaining consistent excellence, a distinctive culinary identity, exceptional service, an inviting ambiance, meticulous attention to detail, sustained quality over time, and a commitment to innovative interior design. To achieve a third Michelin star, a restaurant must elevate culinary mastery to an extraordinary level, use exceptional ingredients, achieve perfect harmony in every dish, provide service as an art form, create a unique and memorable dining experience, ensure an exceptional atmosphere through interior design, and consistently demonstrate innovation and creativity. Profitability isn't the primary focus; rather, establishments aim for prestige, with owners more interested in covering expenses than accumulating wealth.
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  • Question
    What's the difference between the Michelin star and the Michelin guide?
    Nicholas Di Paolo
    Personal Chef
    Nicholas Di Paolo is a Personal Chef based in Sedona, Arizona. With over 30 years of restaurant experience, Chef Nick has worked in esteemed restaurants including Manhattan’s Raoul’s Bistro and Las Vegas' Foundation Room. Chef Nick has been featured in various publications including Time Out Magazine, Seven, Mountain Living, and the local news in New York City, Las Vegas, and Flagstaff. Chef Nick's Italian-America upbringing is the foundation of his private culinary services. Chef Nick offers buffet-style catering, wedding catering, and standard family dinner menus for clients. He attended the New York Restaurant School.
    Nicholas Di Paolo
    Personal Chef
    Expert Answer
    The Michelin Guide, created by the Michelin Tire company, annually publishes reviews and ratings for restaurants and hotels worldwide. Employing anonymous inspectors, it evaluates establishments based on criteria such as ingredient quality, culinary skill, creativity, and consistency. Michelin stars, awarded within the guide, signify excellence in culinary achievement, with one, two, or three stars denoting increasing levels of distinction. The Michelin stars are prestigious recognitions that have a significant impact on a restaurant's reputation and business within the global gastronomic community.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-earn-yourself-a-michelin-star
      2. ↑ http://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-earn-yourself-a-michelin-star
      3. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.ca/article/what-it-takes-to-become-a-1-2-or-3-michelin-star-restaurant/
      4. ↑ http://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-earn-yourself-a-michelin-star
      5. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.ca/article/what-it-takes-to-become-a-1-2-or-3-michelin-star-restaurant/
      6. ↑ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/what-does-it-take-to-earn_b_2204599.html
      7. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-fine-dining-mean-the-peak-resort-dining
      8. ↑ https://blog.yelp.com/businesses/behind-the-review-5-tips-on-building-an-authentic-online-presence/
      9. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/what-does-it-take-earn-michelin-stars
      1. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/what-does-it-take-earn-michelin-stars

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