Explained: What are Michelin Stars, the global gold standard in fine dining?

Through the lawsuit, Veyrat wanted the restaurant guide to provide the reasons for stripping the restaurant of its third star. He also demanded $1 in symbolic damages for the depression that followed the verdict.

Michelin’s lawyers denounced Veyrat as a “narcissistic diva”, and the lawsuit as an abuse of the legal system. They argued the case was about freedom of opinion and criticism, and demanded 30,000 euros in compensation.

The court ordered Veyrat to pay costs to Michelin.

What is the Michelin guide, and what is the big fuss about it?

The origins of the Michelin Guide

In 1889, the brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin founded the Michelin tyre company in France. At the time, the prospects for a tyre company weren’t bright, since roughly 3,000 cars were being driven in the whole of France.

As a result, in order to encourage motorists, the brothers started giving out for free a guide that provided basic information such as maps, places to eat, how to change a tyre, and where to fill petrol.

Then, based on the principle of “Man only truly respects what he pays for”, they started selling the Michelin Guide from 1920 onwards at a cost of seven francs.

The scope of the guide was subsequently widened to include information such as a list of hotels in Paris, and restaurants according to specific categories. The guide also abandoned paid-for advertisements.

As the guide’s restaurant section became more influential, they recruited a team of “mystery diners”, who visited and reviewed the restaurants anonymously.

From 1926 onward, the guide started awarding stars to fine dining establishments. There was only a single star in the beginning, but later, a hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was established.

In 1936, the starred rankings were published for the first time. As per the Michelin website, the guide now rates over 30,000 establishments in over 30 territories across four continents.

Location of Michelin-starred restaurants

In order for a restaurant to be reviewed by the Michelin Guide, it has to be located in a territory or country for which a Michelin Guide already exists. In Asia, Michelin Guides exist for Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, and Seoul. There is no Michelin Guide for India yet.

The Michelin Guide conveys its restaurant reviews through two-three line summaries, and an “extensive system of symbols”, the most common symbol being the Michelin star itself.

A restaurant may receive between zero and three Michelin stars, and is judged on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money, and consistency between visits.

As per the Michelin website, the restaurant inspectors who remain anonymous do not look at the interior decor, table setting or service quality when awarding stars.