Michelin Restaurant —— Retail

2015-3-30

2015-03-30

I. Restaurant Concept

Michelin restaurant refers to the restaurant that be recommended on Michelin guide, Michelin is only a evaluation institution, neither participate in opening the restaurant, nor the operations. The reason why these restaurants are called Michelin restaurants is only because they get Michelin’s evaluation, this evaluation is only for single store.  

II. Michelin Company Structure Introduction 

1. Michelin Group

Michelin group is the leader of global tire technology, tourism services, maps and guidebooks industry, built in Clermont - Ferrand, France more than a century ago. Michelin group invent in tire technology and manufacturing, by improving the degree of freedom, security, efficiency of travel and fun and making progress to the mobility of people and goods. 

2. Michelin Guide

During the world expo in 1900, Michelin brothers, the founder of Michelin looks good prospects of the development of car travel. They think that if the car travel is thriving, their tires will sell better. Therefore, they put together the restaurant, maps, gas station, hotel, car repair shops and some other information which is good for car travel. And they published the manual called ‘Michelin guide’.

Among those manuals, the book with red cover is more popular with comments for restaurants and hotels. Besides the red cover for guiding good restaurants & hotels, another one with green cover, is focusing on journey planning, tourism pots presentation, road recommendation, etc. Since 1926, Michelin started to use star as the marks to classify the quality of restaurant, and till to now the manual is developed as Red Guide of Michelin. Michelin Guide has done a good & sustainable contribution to human being and materials in moving status by providing entire information such as travelling, restaurant, hotel, etc. (Manual issues in the first Wednesday in march every year.)

3. Michelin Restaurant’s Origin

In order to sell the tire better, Michelin put all information like travel, food and accommodation together and concentrated them into a manual. The restaurants evaluated in this manual were called Michelin Restaurants.

III. Evaluation Criteria

The restaurant which is on the Michelin guide at least get mark of "a knife and fork". This mark is the basic evaluation criteria of the guidelines for restaurants, from ‘top 5 pairs to 1 pair’, which show the restaurant comfort (Detailed criteria please see appendix 1). On top of this ranking is the Michelin star, Michelin restaurant make a star rating of level 3, from ‘1 star to the highest 3 star’, 3 star is the highest honor in catering sector.

Each rating of the restaurant is evaluated by several ‘gourmet spy’ +Visit 12 times in a year + Michelin headquarters’ review.

Michelin-starred restaurants have their own inspectors who go to judge each restaurant or hotel, they all need to conceal identity, sneak into accommodation and evaluate them. The evaluation criteria they referred to include restaurant food (60%), dining environment (20%), service (10%), and the collocation of wine (10%).

1. Red Guide define star ranking in this way:

1) Star ★:'Worth to be visited, outstanding restaurant in same kind;
2) 2Star★★:The restaurant's chef is very good, it worth to going a long way to taste;

3) 3Star★★★:'Worth to arranging a special visit', with unforgettable taste.

2. The Key Factors to Evaluation

1) The quality of materials and match;

2) Cooking skills and specialty;

3) Flavor thick and combination;

4) Appropriate price and flavor;

5) Sustainably provide food.

IV. Current Global Restaurant Distribution

1. Global Michelin Restaurant Distribution

Note:The countries listed in the above table have Michelin restaurants more than 10.

The Michelin restaurant covered 23 countries on three continents, including 20 countries of Europe, Asia, Japan and Hong Kong, China, Macau, and the U. S. 

2. Michelin Restaurants’ Statue in China

Michelin restaurants in China only have ratings for Hong Kong and Macao, no restaurant of mainland China's to be made ratings, so in strictly sense, there is no Michelin restaurant in mainland China.

So-called Michelin restaurants in China, only contains a little ‘Michelin’ elements, basically can be divided into the following six kinds of circumstances:

1) Foreign chef who won the award for the Michelin restaurant running his restaurant in mainland China;

2) Restaurant in mainland China hire chef who once worked in Michelin restaurant to cook, give regular guidance and manage;

3) Foreign Michelin restaurants’ chef cooperated with restaurant in mainland China;

4)Restaurant which won the award for the Michelin restaurant management branch stores in the mainland;

5)Mainland China restaurants’ branches in foreign won the award for Michelin-starred restaurant.

V. Conclusion

Many regions and cities are expected to be included in the Michelin Guide to further confirm and expand its reputation in the global food center.

With domestic people's living standard increasing, consumption conditions for Michelin restaurant developed in China. I believe in the near future, Michelin restaurant will be gradually popularized in China, providing the high quality of catering services for the people, China is also bring the unlimited business opportunities for Michelin restaurant. Meanwhile, Michelin restaurant will promote the food culture exchanges between China and the world. It will realize the win-win culture between China and the world, and the win-win between people’s material culture and spiritual culture.

Writer: Ada Quan