Michelin, the famed restaurant guide, is adding Indianapolis for the first time.

Why it matters: A Michelin star could elevate the Circle City's underrated food scene and draw more national attention.

Driving the news: Michelin announced Wednesday it will produce a Michelin Guide for the Great Lakes Region, adding six new cities.

• Indy is joined by Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

Context: The French tire company has been producing food guides since 1900. It ranks restaurants on a three-star system, and earning stars has arguably become the most sought-after prize in the food industry.

What they're saying: "We've been deeply invested in growing and elevating our culinary scene — one that's dynamic, diverse and, increasingly, internationally recognized," Morgan Snyder, vice president of communications at Visit Indy, said during a press conference Wednesday.

• Dining is the biggest driver of tourism dollars, Snyder said, with visitors spending $1.7 billion annually on food and beverages.

State of play: Anonymous inspectors are already in the field, Gwendal Poullennec, international director for the Michelin Guide, said during Wednesday's announcement.

• These are full-time professionals who work only for Michelin, Poullennec said, and they eat out about 300 times a year.

The intrigue: Cities and states are helping fund the Michelin Guide's expansion into new regions.

• When it expanded to the South, cities and states agreed to collectively pay $1.65 million annually to be included, Axios reported.

Zoom in: Visit Indy has agreed to a three-year partnership with the Michelin Guide and is paying $150,000 this year "to ensure the guide launches, giving our local restaurants the opportunity to be reviewed," executive vice president Chris Gahl told Axios.

• "We view the partnership as an investment in attracting more visitors, as culinary tourism has been a growing focus for more than two decades," he said.

What's next: Restaurants for the Great Lakes regional guide will be revealed at a ceremony in 2027.

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Gov. Mike Braun is suspending Indiana's 7% gas tax for 30 days to ease high fuel prices.

Why it matters: The average gas price in Indiana is $4.13 today, according to AAA — more than a dollar higher than the start of the year as the war in Iran continues to disrupt the world's oil supply.

Driving the news: Braun declared an energy emergency Wednesday, suspending the tax for 30 days. That could be extended, he said, if the emergency continues.

• It's up to retailers to follow Braun's order.
• The state will be "patrolling the pumps," he said, monitoring prices to ensure the savings are being passed on.
• Braun has also called on Attorney General Todd Rokita to enforce protections from price gouging.

Reality check: The move will save Hoosiers about 17 cents per gallon — around $2 on a full tank, depending on your vehicle.

The latest: A temporary ceasefire with Iran could stabilize oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

• More than 20% of the world's oil passes through the Strait.

What he's saying: "We felt it was the right time to do it and I think it's going to be a welcome relief for Hoosiers," Braun said during a press conference Wednesday.

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🏀 Former Butler basketball player Maria Marchesano will be the university's next women's coach.

• Marchesano, a 2005 grad, played four years of basketball and one year of softball at Butler. She spent the last five seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne, where she had a 94-76 record. (IndyStar)

🤖 Southern data center developer DC Blox has submitted filings to build a $2 billion data center near the intersection of Washington Street and Shadeland Avenue on Indy's east side. (FOX59)

🍺 Sahm's Hospitality Group has plans to move a Big Lug restaurant and taproom into the former Garfield Brewery location that closed in January. Called Big Lug Filling Station Kitchen & Taphouse, the new business should be open before Memorial Day. (WISH-TV)

🛒 Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Sheetz will spend nearly $1 billion to develop 100 stores across Indiana by 2036. The first locations are targeting 2027 debuts in the Indianapolis area. (IBJ)

Meet Daniel A. Martin, an Indianapolis actor, director and improv pro who is just as comfortable bringing the laughs as he is bringing the drama.

The inspo: Martin — who Citizens Energy customers might recognize as "Ways To Save Man" from the utility company's ads — has dozens of stage and screen credits under his belt.

• Recent stage performances include roles in "Detroit '67" for Naptown African American Theatre Collective, "Skeleton Crew" for Summit Theatre and playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in an Indianapolis Black Theater Company (IBTC) production of "The Mountaintop."
• He's also a comedian who founded the Act A Foo Improv Crew in 2010.

What he's making now: A trip to the director's chair when IBTC opens "Blood At The Root" next Thursday at The District Theatre.

• Inspired by the events of the 2006 Jena Six case in Louisiana, Martin said the desire is to inspire audiences to have important conversations about systemic prejudice.

Plus: On Monday, Martin was announced as a cast member of Indianapolis Shakespeare Company's summer production of "King Lear."

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Indiana diners leave the best tips in the Midwest, which is proof that Hoosier hospitality is real.

Driving the news: Tips across the state averaged 20.6% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Toast's latest restaurant trends report.

• That's best in the region and tied with New Hampshire for the third-highest tip in the U.S. — behind Delaware (21.8%) and West Virginia (20.9%).
• The lowest was California, at 17.2%.

The big picture: Nationwide, tips at full-service restaurants averaged 19.2% in Q4 2025.

• "After a pullback in full-service restaurant tips in Q2 2025, the average has leveled out," Toast's Brian Koerber wrote in the report.
• Tips at fast food joints also held steady at 15.8%.

The fine print: The report is based on data from restaurants using the Toast platform. Cash tips aren't included.

The bottom line: Tipping culture may be under scrutiny, but diners' habits are holding steady.

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