Colorado Springs restaurants are officially on Michelin's radar for the first time, and discreet inspectors may already be slipping into dining rooms around town.

Why it matters: Michelin Guide recognition can boost a restaurant's profile, draw foodie tourism and elevate the city's culinary reputation.

The latest: Colorado is paying $100,000 this year for Michelin to review restaurants statewide, expanding beyond its previous focus on a handful of mountain and Front Range communities.

• Anonymous inspectors are already in the field scouting new gems to promote "across the state," the Colorado Sun reported last month.

What they're saying: This is Colorado's "second biggest market," Springs food journalist Matthew Schniper told Axios. "They're definitely coming here."

• Michelin represents what longtime local chef Jay Gust called "a measurable scale of quality and perfection."
• There could also be "spillover," said James Africano, owner of The Warehouse Restaurant downtown — as visitors come for a starred restaurant and stick around to explore the city.

Zoom out: Restaurants across Colorado that have already been recognized say they see an immediate boost — not just in business, but in hiring, retention and attention for nearby eateries, too, according to Colorado Restaurant Association spokesperson Denise Mickelsen.

Michelin isn't just about white table-cloth dining. In 2024, the guide awarded a star to a New York taco truck.

Between the lines: Even before the 2026 guide's is released, local restaurateurs say the Michelin effect is already changing behavior in the Springs.

• "We want to treat every table like they're the Michelin inspector," Roth's general manager Jeroen Erens told Axios.

Fun fact: Gust, who founded Pizzaria Rustica in Old Colorado City, calls himself a Michelin superfan — he's logged more than 30 starred dining experiences in a personal database.

Reality check: "It's very tough [to get a star], no room for error," said Erens, who has worked at a three-star restaurant.

• In other words, a Springs snub is still very possible.

What's next: The updated Michelin guide for Colorado drops in September.

A short list of contenders

Many independent restaurants say they've hit a pricing ceiling — even as sales and traffic stabilize, according to the James Beard Foundation's annual industry report, shared exclusively with Axios.

Why it matters: Survival tactics in recent years — higher prices and delivery expansion — are losing effectiveness, leading operators to reset the math.

Between the lines: Restaurants that raised prices more than 10% in 2025 were most likely to report lower profits — down from a 15% threshold in last year's report.

• "There's just not a lot of elasticity left," Anne McBride, VP of impact at the James Beard Foundation, the nonprofit behind the awards, told Axios.
• Operators say diners are pushing back — skipping second drinks, sharing desserts and trimming add-ons to manage the final check.

Zoom out: Even as pricing power weakens, most operators say business conditions improved last year.

• 62% reported good or excellent business performance, up from 54% in 2024.
• 73% say they're optimistic about 2026.
• Two-thirds saw the same or more customers last year.

Yes, but: Cost pressures persist. Labor remains a top concern, with 49% reporting staffing insufficiency, the report found.

• But big raises are fading: The share of operators upping wages 10% or more plunged from 71% to 15% in one year.
• 18% didn't raise wages at all.

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⚖️ The Department of Corrections found imprisoned former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters not guilty of assaulting another inmate during a fight in January, though she was convicted of a lesser charge. (Denver Post 🔑)

🦒 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announced that Miziki, 27, the oldest giraffe in the herd, was euthanized last Friday, marking the second giraffe death in a week. (Facebook)

• A 15-year-old male named Mashama died the previous Sunday after eating a small piece of wire.
• Zoo president Bob Chastain posted about both giraffes and the zoo's herd, with 40% of its animals at or exceeding their life expectancy.

A federal judge sentenced Return to Nature co-owner Carie Halford to 18 years in prison for improperly storing roughly 190 human remains. (The Colorado Springs Gazette 🔑)

The local food scene is abuzz with changes.

🍽️ Let's dig in and catch up quick:

🦐 Cajun cuisine fans, you're in luck: two new spots are bringing the heat.

• Stix and Soul opened March 10 in the old Hooters location at The Citadel mall.
• Local chef Perry Sanders is set to open Perriteaux in the former Greek restaurant space on the southeast side of Prospect Lake.

🍕 The Gazette's annual March Madness food bracket is all about pizza this year — and the current round of voting wraps up today at 5pm, so cast your vote while you still can.

🍔 Not all food news is good news: Wendy's closed three more area locations last week, according to KRDO.

• The chain's website now lists just 13 area restaurants.

🍷 The Old Chicago building at Woodmen Road and I-25 is turning into an Angelo's Taverna, with a Carboy Winery on the second story.

• An employee at the Denver location told me the Springs spot is expected to open in mid-June.

🔷 The former Blue Star restaurant on Tejon Street could get a second life — plans show a $1.7 million commercial renovation that may pave the way for a reopening, per the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.