Exclusive: It would've cost Virginia $360k to be in Michelin's South guide
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A plaque displaying the three stars of the Michelin guide, the highest award of French gastronomy. Photo: Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
Virginia is noticeably absent from the forthcoming Southern restaurant guide that Michelin announced last week.
Why it matters: The state tourism office would've had to pay $360,000 to be included, Juliana Thomas, Virginia Tourism Corp.'s communication director, tells Axios.
The big picture: A Michelin star is one of the restaurant world's top honors, including in the States, where the French tire company has been inspecting restaurants since 2005.
- But in recent years, which parts of America Michelin visits have been contingent on which tourism boards pony up the cash, the New York Times reported in 2023.
- The payments — dubbed "partnership" money — started with a $600,000 payout from Visit California in 2019 and help offset the cost of the review process, the director of the Michelin guides told the NYT.
By the numbers: Since then, state and local tourism boards in Miami, Tampa and Orlando, Florida, agreed to pay Michelin $1.5 million, Axios Miami's Martin Vassolo reported. Three more Sunshine State cities signed on this year, for $90,000 apiece.
- The Colorado Tourism Board paid $300,000 to land a guide, while tourism boards in Denver, Boulder and Aspen paid Michelin between $70,000 and $100,000 each, per Axios Denver's Esteban L. Hernandez.
- Atlanta is shelling out $1 million, while Texas and five of its metros landed a guide for $900,000.
How it works: For many, the prestige of Michelin is worth any cost: It can drive a huge increase in tourism and diners.
- A restaurant that earns one Michelin star can expect to see around 20% more business; one that earns three can expect business to double, Food & Wine reported.
- And culinary tourism is one of the fastest-growing travel segments.
Zoom in: For Virginia tourism officials, not cutting a deal with Michelin came down to cost ($120,000 a year for three years) and "responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars," Thomas tells Axios. As it is, Michelin inspectors do include a few spots in Virginia.
- The Inn at Little Washington in Washington has held three stars, Michelin's highest honor, since 2019, as part of Michelin's D.C. region.
- And the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, roughly an hour outside D.C., received "one key" last year as part of Michelin's first-ever hotel rankings for the U.S.
What they're saying: High-profile chefs and restaurateurs we talked to were OK with the decision.
- Over in Staunton, two-time James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic semifinalist Ian Boden runs exactly the kind of restaurants Michelin should take note of, at least based on its original mission to help travelers find off-the-beaten-path culinary gems.
- A Michelin star would be great and would help business, Boden tells Axios, but his primary concern these days is finding enough staff to cover his restaurants so he can take his first day off in two years.
- He's also grown weary of the constant asks to donate his time, talent or product — from for-profit food festivals, food writers, tourism boards and industry publications — all in exchange for "exposure."
Richmond chef, restaurant owner and fellow Beard semifinalist Brittanny Anderson says she too would be thrilled to get a Michelin star, but not at the expense of the homogeny in dining that seems to come along with Michelin attention.
- Too often restaurants change what they're doing to meet what they think is Michelin's standard of tasting menus and expensive ingredients. In the process, they lose the thing that made them unique to begin with, she tells Axios.
- The quest for stars also puts an enormous amount of pressure on chefs, often at the expense of their mental health.
- "I'm so grateful to them for not coming because I don't need that amount of stress in my life," she jokes.
"I'm kind of proud of the state for saying f*ck that" to Michelin, Boden tells Axios.
Zoom out: It's unclear how much the six states — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — paid to be in the upcoming American South guide, and Michelin spokesperson Carly Grieff said she couldn't discuss the terms, citing "competitive reasons."
What we're watching: The South guide could expand in the coming years to include more of the region, Grieff tells Axios.
- "It is only the beginning of our journey with the American South region," she adds.