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What is Michelin Star? Part 2

This blog post explains what Michelin Star is and What is the effect for world. Did you know what Michelin star is? Who are Michelin inspectors? Why three Michelin star restaurants close? What is the story behind Michelin star? What are the impacts of Michelin guide? What is Michelin Star?

6/3/20259 min read

green and brown vegetable salad
green and brown vegetable salad

Go to PART 1 if you did not read yet.

So, after those information that I learned from those amazing and detailed articles and researchers, I thought to myself, wow, Michelin was in a different place in my mind. What a long journey it has had and what a big operation it is that it is still ongoing. After all, food is something that varies greatly from day to day, depending on many factors such as the humidity level in the environment it is in, the person who makes it, the equipment.

I thought about how difficult it is for a restaurant to maintain its star in this industry where the same recipe can taste different when made by different people and where the human factor is so high. I also thought about how difficult it is to monitor this.

a small plastic figure of a person holding a banana
a small plastic figure of a person holding a banana

Why some Chefs do not want star?

Then I thought, wouldn't this cause great stress for the chefs? For example, some three-star chefs may close their restaurants. What could be the reason for this?

There are some examples like Dani Garcia, Alain Senderens, Olivier Roellinger, Sébastien Bras, Ferran Adrià etc.

Those chefs’ ‘closing tree star restaurant’ stories based on

  • pressure

  • high costs

  • to leave at the top thinking that one has reached the highest point one can reach.

  • feeling of being judged

  • stick to certain patterns

  • wanting ‘freedom’

  • obsession of perfection

  • wanting to better life balance, spend more time with family.

  • don’t want to be a position in fancy chef media

and after those closings not all of them but there are lots of attitudes are having a casual places, flexibel and cosy restaurants, do not want the star again.

There are lots of closing stories. I will add some of them’s news in the references. The keypoint I feel from those news, The increase in costs, the effort to keep the star and get another star, the perfectionist attitude that the star presents, the stereotypes in the sector have put serious pressure on people. Along with the weariness, it is also possible to understand an attitude as if they put the chefs in a box and do not want them to go outside of it, based on the statements they make. I think there are great lessons to be learned in the stories of these chefs for young chefs who dream of three stars. Dealing with people is difficult.

Maybe those three star retired chefs should be Michelin Guide inspectors. Maybe they are..who knows?

person holding spoon with rice
person holding spoon with rice

How Michelin decide to come to a country?

Basically;

  • Countries or cities apply or make a proposal to Michelin.

  • Michelin first conducts secret inspections of the region.

  • If financial collaboration is secured, the guide is prepared.

  • Michelin usually does not open an office; it sends inspectors instead.

For example;

In 2022 Michelin Guide came to Turkey. The arrival of the Michelin Guide in Turkey was made possible with the support of the Istanbul Tourism Development Agency (ISTGA) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As a result of this collaboration, Michelin evaluated various restaurants in Istanbul.

Why a country wants Michelin Guide?

Tourist income.

Money.

Renevue.

Believe or not this is a huge sector.

a camera and a map on a table
a camera and a map on a table

According to Eater,

In the cases of Thailand and Singapore, the arrival of the Michelin Guide has been used as part of their tourism and gastronomy strategy:

In Thailand, tourism accounts for 18% of the country's GDP, and 20% of that revenue comes from gastronomy. The Michelin Guide was used to attract high-end and luxury tourists. The Tourism Authority of Thailand projected that the guide would increase per capita food spending by tourists by 10%. In Singapore, food and beverage spending made up 10% of total tourist expenditures in the first quarter of 2018. American tourists stand out in terms of food-related spending. Thanks to the Michelin Guide, Singapore’s position as a regional gastronomic hub has been strengthened, aligning with the goal of raising quality in the sector and expanding gastro-tourism.

brown metal garage gate
brown metal garage gate

Is it still one of the most effective influence for restaurants?

I did not make any research about this but I am a Gen-Z. If I want to find a restaurant or a location I just search on TIKTOK. Of course I have a restaurant list that I want to go but for all of them my first search tool is Tiktok. Then I check their instagram, and then Google. BUT time to time, I am checking Michelin Guide.

In addition to my idea, I find a very very important saying on Eater. They wrote Eric Wolf’s (Erik Wolf, executive director of the World Food Travel Association) direct sentences. What I understand from his sentences is this:

📌 Michelin and similar guides may not have as much influence on travel decisions as people think.

  • Wolf argues that guides like Michelin or the World’s 50 Best don’t significantly impact where people choose to travel.

    • He bases this on nearly 20 years of research conducted by the World Food Travel Association (WFTA).

    • According to him, there’s no data proving that these lists influence destination choices.

📊 What Actually Influences Travelers?

  • In WFTA’s 2016 Food Travel Monitor:

    • The top motivators for both culinary and non-culinary travelers were recommendations from friends (71%)and online review platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor.

    • Lists like Michelin or World’s 50 Best weren’t even included in the study — suggesting they’re not influential enough to track.

🎯 Marketing Reality:

  • According to Wolf, destination marketers are more focused on collaborating with influencers and celebrities to attract attention.

  • Being featured in a guide is a nice bonus, but not something most tourism boards actively pursue.

👤 His Personal View:

  • As both a food lover and a traveler, Wolf says he would never choose a destination based on a top-50 list.

    • He might consult a list if he’s already planning to go somewhere, but it wouldn’t influence his choice of destination.

🔧 Bottom Line:

  • Michelin’s restaurant ratings have become more of a brand and marketing tool than a genuine driver of tourism.

  • The Michelin tire company continues to benefit from the guide’s prestige — as long as tourism boards are willing to pay for the glow of its stars.

In short, Wolf believes that personal recommendations and online reviews matter more than elite restaurant lists when it comes to choosing where to travel.

white and brown cake on white ceramic tray
white and brown cake on white ceramic tray

..and I want to share my honest opinion now from behind the curtain;

I don’t have years of experience in kitchen. I did one of my internships in Belgium it was like 3 months. The restaurant has a star. My friends also worked in a starred restaurants. Everybody's experiences were different. The reason is food and beverage sector is based on people. If your team and your chef is good, your experience will become a real experience. If your team is bad, your chef is a psycho, this will be the worst experience. It does not matter one star or three star. Your not just working with food, you are working with people. You are not serving just a food, you are serving a gastronomic experience. Therefore,

If you want to be a chef or a gastronomy student, yes. Find a starred restaurant and try. You will see the difference. Even working in one star and two star is a very different thing. My chef told me ‘’If you want to cook, work in a star restaurant. If you want to just wash lettuce all day, go to two-three star restaurants.’’

Which restaurants should you eat one star or three star?

My favorites are recommended. Cause they have a huge target which is a star. You will see the passion. Unfortunately, I have never been to a two and three star restaurants cause they are expensive for me.

person holding brown bread with green vegetable
person holding brown bread with green vegetable

To make things more clear I asked 3 questions to my friend Ahmet Hayri Kulumbur who did his internships in a one star restaurant(in kitchen) and a two star restaurant (in serving) about his opinion.

Question 1: During your internship at Michelin starred restaurants, can you tell us the 3 most striking positive and 3 negative things about the operation of a Michelin starred restaurant?

Answer: “Michelin-starred restaurants are the right place to experience high-level gastronomy both as a guest and as a chef. The experiences gained here undoubtedly develop qualities that are useful in every industry, such as discipline, punctuality, and the pursuit of excellence. As someone who has worked both as a chef and a waiter in Michelin-starred restaurants, I can clearly say that the most positive aspects of working in such establishments are the ability to work quickly, the excellence that can be achieved while working at high speed, and the gastronomic vision it brings.

However, just like no workplace is perfect, Michelin-starred restaurants also come with long and exhausting working hours, overwhelming responsibilities, and some mental fatigue resulting from challenging working conditions.”

person preparing cooked dish
person preparing cooked dish

Question 2: How does it work behind the scenes? Is it a stressful and dark world? Or is it fun?

Answer: “I believe that what happens behind the scenes differs from one restaurant to another. In some Michelin-starred restaurants, a motivated and harmonious team can achieve great results through strong teamwork.

Working in such an environment may be exhausting, but at the end of the day, the sense of satisfaction from cooking and the opportunity for personal growth can make it worthwhile. On the other hand, in some restaurants, a dysfunctional team—combined with the physical and especially mental fatigue that comes with the profession—may lead to unhealthy behaviors, which can take a toll on a person’s well-being. The person who prepared that stunning plate in front of you might actually be someone worn out and unhappy due to constant stress and pressure.”

a bowl of food with a candle in the background
a bowl of food with a candle in the background

Question 3: Can you tell us the 3 biggest differences you felt between one star and two stars? Would you prefer to work at a starred restaurant again?

Answer: “The biggest difference I observed between a one-star and a two-star Michelin restaurant was the operational system. A one-star restaurant can make daily adjustments in its workflow due to the absence of a particular ingredient or a team member not showing up for work, and is relatively more flexible.

In a two-star Michelin restaurant, however, it is nearly impossible to break the standard—mistakes are not tolerated. In such places, the service side becomes equally important, and for those in guest-facing positions, managing the pressure while maintaining a flawless connection with the table can be quite challenging. In short, while a one-star Michelin restaurant gives you a bit more room to be yourself, a two-star one can make you feel like a robot.

To be honest, I wouldn’t prefer to work in the kitchen of any Michelin-starred restaurant, but I could work in the bar or service area with motivation.”

So, what would you do if you had a restaurant? Would you like a star? Who wouldn't want one, right?

a jar of pickles sitting on a counter in a kitchen
a jar of pickles sitting on a counter in a kitchen

References:

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