Whether you work as a Restaurant Manager or you’re a Chef, you want your restaurant to be regarded as one of the best places to dine. Earning a Michelin star is the most prestigious award an establishment can get to boost its reputation.
But how do you get a Michelin star? In this article, we look at the process of obtaining the award and provide tips on how to secure one.
What Are Michelin Stars?
You probably recognize the Michelin name from the company’s influence in the automotive industry. The famous tire manufacturer came up with the Michelin Guide to encourage more motorists to explore France and, naturally, buy more of its tires.
The guide ranked the best hotels and restaurants through its own system and awarded them one to three stars in the following way:
- One Michelin star – a very good restaurant, worth a stop
- Two Michelin stars – excellent cooking, worth a detour
- Three Michelin stars – exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
Within a decade, the guide expanded rapidly throughout Europe and Northern Africa, and Michelin stars became one of the most coveted awards in the culinary world.
Over time, Bib Gourmand and Michelin Green Star were introduced and are awarded to restaurants with “exceptionally good food at moderate prices” and “those that excel in sustainable gastronomy,” respectively.
The Michelin star rating system is the same today, and every restaurant’s goal is to receive at least one star.
Michelin stars aren’t awarded to the Chef directly but are instead given to the restaurant they work in. However, since Michelin inspectors only take into account the quality of the dishes, the award is generally associated with the Head Chef role. Only the best Chefs are capable of holding three Michelin stars.
Michelin Star Criteria
First of all, it’s important to mention that you don’t apply for a Michelin star. The guide employs inspectors who seek out and visit restaurants across the world and sample their cuisines. They dine anonymously and pay for their meals like ordinary customers. This is done to ensure they don’t receive special treatment.
They use five assessment criteria, which they’ve adhered to for more than a century. Let’s look at them one by one.
Using quality products
At its core, an exceptional dish is based on two things – quality ingredients and outstanding cooking. In terms of ingredients, Michelin inspectors look for tasty, locally-grown ingredients that reflect the restaurant’s location and overall theme.
It’s a myth that Michelin only ranks restaurants that use expensive ingredients. Instead, it’s all about making simple dishes using local ingredients. A well-prepared carrot from a local farm can leave the same impression as caviar or saffron.
Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
To put ingredients together and deliver a top-notch meal takes a lot of culinary expertise and cooking skill. The best Chefs can highlight the innate characteristics of each product and balance their flavors.
Michelin inspectors rate how well Chefs do this while also delivering dishes that look good. Lastly, pacing plays a significant role as nobody wants to wait an hour between courses.
Value for money
People often assume only the most upscale and fine-dining restaurants receive Michelin stars. However, this isn’t the case – a restaurant of any type can get them. Inspectors rate what diners get for their money and whether the restaurant delivers on its promises.
Personality of the Chef
Head Chefs don’t just prepare food – they’re viewed as culinary artists and their connection to the cuisine plays a big part in receiving stars. Although it’s a more subjective criterion, inspectors often look at how personalized the menu is and how it compares to other establishments in the area. A long list of classic dishes doesn’t really help a restaurant stand out.
To satisfy this criteria, Chefs often experiment with different ingredients and different flavors. It’s all about letting them do what they do best and expressing themselves through their cuisine.
Consistency of the food
Michelin visits all restaurants on its radar at least two or three times, with different inspectors each time, before awarding them with a star. This is done to ensure the quality of the food and service is always the same and that a bad day doesn’t become a deal breaker.
How To Get a Michelin Star
If you’re running a restaurant or a kitchen, earning a Michelin star might be your ultimate goal. If this is the case, there are things you can do to increase your chances. Let’s look at the most important steps to take.
Hire the right staff
It’s impossible to meet the Michelin Guide criteria without the right Head Chef in the kitchen. After all, it’s their cuisine that determines whether or not the establishment receives stars.
With that said, it’s up to the Restaurant Owner or Restaurant Manager to find a Head Chef who’s passionate about their work and always strives for excellence. This may be a kitchen veteran with a proven record or an aspiring Chef chasing their dream. Ultimately, it’s all about how ready they are to help the establishment achieve excellence.
While service doesn’t play a huge part in the evaluation, you don’t really want Michelin inspectors to be served a cold dish. That’s why it’s important to ensure employees in other roles, such as Waiters/Waitresses and Servers, are up to the task.
Improve your culinary expertise
If cooking is your passion and you want to become a Michelin Chef, keep in mind that it takes a lot of culinary expertise to get there. Almost anyone can put a few ingredients together and serve them to customers.
The best Head Chefs have mastered all cooking techniques and can add something special to just about any dish. Only the best of them get to adorn their careers with Michelin stars.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to receive formal culinary education. You can become a Chef without culinary school and build a name for yourself in the restaurant industry. If you prove you belong among the very best, you’ll be one step closer to receiving your stars.
However, this includes starting in an entry-level position such as Cook, improving your cooking and knife skills and moving up through the ranks.
Connect to your cuisine
In order for a Head Chef and their restaurant to receive Michelin stars, both their dishes and the menu have to stand out. Although not impossible, it’s difficult to imagine a restaurant receiving the award for serving only classic meals.
Inspectors prefer to award stars to Chefs who are true artists in their field. Therefore, it’s up to you to embrace your creativity and come up with new dishes or add a touch of your own to traditional dishes.
Deliver quality food consistently
Remember, you won’t know when the Michelin inspectors show up to try your cuisine. There’s no opportunity to create something special and try to impress them. Instead, it’s all about delivering exceptional food consistently.
You may not even be there when the inspectors arrive. A Head Chef’s work is no longer restricted to the kitchen alone. While in the role, you may see yourself traveling for various events and collaborations. It’s important to train your Sous Chef and the rest of the staff to deliver consistently good meals even in your absence.
Can You Lose a Michelin Star?
Earning Michelin stars isn’t a lifetime achievement, and a restaurant and its Head Chef can lose them if their food and service quality decline.
Inspectors revisit venues regularly to determine whether they’re still worthy of their Michelin stars. If they notice your restaurant is slipping in any way, there’s a risk of losing your star.
A Michelin inspector said they understand that awarding and taking away stars can make or break somebody’s business. That’s why they go as many times as they have to to ensure consistency.
Even the great Gordon Ramsay lost Michelin stars at one point. He said that it’s a very emotional thing for any Chef.
It’s also important to mention that the restaurant doesn’t lose its stars when the Head Chef leaves. Stars are given to the restaurant and are retained even when a new Head Chef is hired. However, inspectors continue to visit the restaurant and may eventually remove its stars if the place no longer fulfills Michelin star requirements.
