Fourteen restaurants in Washington , D.C. get covetedMichelin starson Sept. 13 , 2018 , including the city ’s first three - star eating place — The Inn at Little Washington . This was part of Michelin ’s 2019 rollout of U.S. cities — ratings for Chicago , New York and San Francisco will follow throughout the month of September and November . But the Michelin Guide did n’t start out as the iconic okay dining guide we know of today . In fact , it was primitively just a promotion for a tire company .
Around 1900 , Michelin startedcreating and give out freeguides filled with useful entropy — locations of hotel , gun stationsand restaurants around France — to hoi polloi as a way to increasetiresales by encouraging more driving . But as the tire society became more successful , so did the guides . Eventually Michelin boom the coverage across Europe and even began charging for the guides in 1920 .
Ultimately , as the Michelin Guidegained respect in the industry , so the society enclose its first fine dining guide in 1926 , and later its three - star rating arrangement in 1931 . Now the Michelin genius is the one of the most coveted pureness a restaurant can earn . In fact , restaurants in only four U.S. cities — Chicago , New York , San Francisco and Washington , D.C. — are even rated . The bulk of restaurants are located in Europe and Asia .
Today , inspectors(as Michelin squall them ) are anon. and pay for their meal to maintain credibility . They judge their experience based on the following :
Michelin recognize that the inspector problem is n’t quite as glamorous as it sounds , and that the Michelin Guide is n’t consider asource of profitfor the company , but it is , nevertheless , an of import part of the Michelin steel .
So what does it take for a eating house and chef to earn a prestigious Michelin star ( or three ) ? " preparation involves craftsmanship and a human touch , " Lam Ming Kin , chef / possessor of one - Michelin - starredLongtailin Taipei , Taiwan , told a panelat the yearly Michelin Guide Singapore Trade Seminar in August 2018 , at the Regent Singapore . " There is no fast solution . You need to pass clock time with your cooks and groom them step by step . "
