The Michelin Guide arrives in the American South
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Michelin man, aka Bibendum, welcomes guests to the 2025 Michelin Guide ceremony for Germany. Photo: Lando Hass/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Michelin Guide will reveal its first-ever American South restaurant picks on Monday in a Greenville, South Carolina, ceremony.
Why it matters: The guide's selections come with an immense level of marketing and promotion — not to mention game-changing prestige.
The big picture: Michelin began its elite restaurant recommendations with the advent of car travel as French motorists sought great dining on the road. Go deeper.
- Chefs have long sought Michelin's financial reward and cultural status, but it took decades for the guide to expand beyond Europe. Michelin didn't create even a New York guide until 2005.
To nudge along U.S. expansion, tourism agencies have bowed to a kind of pay-to-play system, including in Atlanta and Texas, but this is the first time the American South is being considered regionally.
- The endeavor cost $1.65 million, according to records obtained by Axios New Orleans, for a three-year contract. It doesn't include guaranteed stars, and all chefs and agencies will learn about selections at the same time, during Monday's ceremony.
How it works: For months, Michelin Guide Inspectors dined at restaurants in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
- Public recommendations help inform what restaurants are initially selected for inspection.
- Anonymous inspectors visit the restaurants several times a year and form critiques based on quality, flavors, cooking technique, the chef's voice and personality as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency.
- The dining experiences become an elite list of selected recommendations.
What Michelin star ratings mean
⭐️ Stars: The most prestigious restaurants secure star ratings.
- One star means a visit is worth a stop; two stars mean it's worth a detour and three stars mean it's worth a special journey.
😋 Bib Gourmand: These selections indicate value, or great food at reasonable prices. It's named for Michelin's mascot, the pillowy-looking Bibendum.
- Michelin's current standard for a "reasonable" U.S. price is around $40-$50 for a starter, entree and dessert.
✅ "Selected": A third designation for restaurants that don't quite rise to Bib or star-level dining.
- These picks are "the sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked; simply a good meal," said former Michelin Guides international director Michael Ellis. Go deeper.
Between the lines: Though Michelin says its inspectors do not consider interior decor, table settings or service quality when awarding stars, the guide does offer additional nods for things like great views and interesting beverage programs. Go deeper.
Who could be selected
Michelin picks range from highly orchestrated tweezer food to hole-in-the-wall institutions. In other words, everything's on the table.
- A taco stand in Mexico, for example, has a Michelin star. So does a noodle stall in Singapore and a handful of Texas barbecue joints.
How to watch the ceremony
Only a select few got invites to the ceremony in South Carolina. (Ours must have gotten lost in the mail.)
- But it is being streamed on YouTube. The event begins Monday, Nov. 3, at 7:15pm ET. Watch live.