[SILVER-ARROW]

MICHELIN - The picture that comes to ones mind on hearing this word, is a company specializing in manufacturing world class tyres and a pioneer in development of Punctureless tyres.

Came across an article where a scathing review of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy was making headlines link-2. Was pleasantly surprised to read that Michelin has been rating restaurants since early part of 20th century.
Have any Bhpians ever visited any Michelin stared restaurants? Would love to hear about their experience.

Sharing few pictures about a brief history of the same.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Shifting Gears section. Thanks for sharing!

[shankar.balan]

Yes of course. Michelin hit upon this fantastic idea to ensure that people drove more and thus needed to change their tyres. Only the French could have come up with such an elegant solution - ‘pour le marketing’; paying homage to the taste buds and at the same time driving their sales targets for something as mundane as a tyre! They used to employ anonymous Inspectors, (all Gourmets of repute) who used to diligently sample and eat in all those Michelin Starred Restaurants while ostensibly on road trips posing as commercial negociants or vendeurs or similar, like a ‘mystery audit’ ro ensure the restaurants were always on top of their game, so as to justify and retain their coveted Michelin Star(s). And to become an Inspector itself was no small feat. There is a whole lot of screening and discipline involved and not just a matter of gormandizing on lucullan banquets all the time. And importantly, the Michelin Inspectors were absolutely steadfast and incorruptible.

The late author Peter Mayle, in his wonderful books on Southern France writes oh-so-eloquently about these esoteric topics!

I am a bit of a Francophile myself and I love that country and its roads and culture and food and absolute style and elegance, their savoir-vivre and sense of chic!

Guide Michelin has some useful apps which work well in France. Here are some screenshots. And here are some lovely collectors items (books) from my personal library, to do with Michelin and Bibendum their Mascot.

And yes, I do use Michelin tyres on one of my cars and will very probably do so on my other vehicle (s) when they become due for change.

[volkman10]

Michelin-starred restaurant closes because it’s too expensive.

After 26 years in business, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is closing due to costs becoming too expensive – for both customers and the restaurant operators.

Deanes EIPIC, the flagship fine dining restaurant of an empire started by Northern Irish chef Michael Deane in the 1990s, won its first Michelin star within a year of opening as Deanes in 1997.

However, this month the company announced Deanes EIPIC will be closing by the end of 2023 due to increased price sensitivity among customers and the impact of Covid, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis. A relaunch is planned with a new “value for money” focus.

Link