Why hasn’t the Michelin Guide come to rate Philadelphia restaurants?
Other cities have their own editions of the vaunted Michelin Guide, but it has not announced plans for Philadelphia, one of America's top restaurant towns. It could be a matter of money.
Philadelphia’s dining scene is a longtime success story. Three decades ago, Philadelphia was the first city outside of New York to warrant its own edition of the Zagat Survey. For at least a decade, the influential James Beard Foundation’s awards roster has brimmed with its chefs, restaurants, and professionals. National food publications routinely name Philadelphia restaurants to its best-of lists.
If Philadelphia is such a star on the dining stage, why is there no Michelin Red Guide covering its restaurants?
There is no easy answer. Meanwhile, Philadelphia civic boosters are clamoring for a local edition of the French-based guide, arguably the standard-bearer among ratings providers around the world.
The tire company introduced the guides in 1926 as a promotional tool and they now cover restaurants in 25 countries, predominately in Europe and Asia. Michelin published its first American edition in 2006 for New York City and has since featured other cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington. The guides sell the cities’ culinary cachet by awarding stars and “Bib Gourmand” status.
“Michelin [would] seal the deal and brand us officially as a premier eating and dining destination,” said Ellen Yin, owner of such restaurants as Fork, High Street, and a.kitchen and last year’s winner of the Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur.
Andrew Festa, who handles media inquiries for Michelin North America, said the guide is “always evaluating potential new destinations” but declined to say if Philadelphia is even being considered. Last year, Philadelphia was the eighth U.S. destination to be covered by a Michelin Green Guide, an overall travel guide also published by Michelin but edited by a different team.
Festa, by email, said Red Guide inspectors evaluate whether an area’s culinary scene is “advanced enough for a Michelin Guide selection of restaurants and whether the culinary landscape has potential for growth. If they determine that is the case, the process might begin for the guide to be established in that area.”
The city may have to pay for it
What it also will boil down to is money. While Michelin inspectors work anonymously and independently to choose and review the restaurants, the company often relies on tourism boards to fund marketing and promotions.
It’s been widely reported that tourism boards have paid Michelin hundreds of thousands of dollars for the privilege, notably a reported three-year deal with South Florida worth $1.5 million. But not Boston. According to Eater, Boston’s tourism board had initial talks but refused to pay, on the grounds that Michelin would showcase only a small portion of its restaurants.
Robin Bloom, director of content for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the bureau has been in touch with Michelin about interest in Philadelphia’s getting a Red Guide but did not know how much it would cost to cinch a buy-in.
Bloom said that if Michelin reaches out with interest and a price, “we’ll rally our partners to make it happen.” The PHLCVB had funding for the Green Guide in its budget, she said.
She said the public could advocate for a Philadelphia Red Guide by emailing Michelin at michelin.guides@michelin.com.
Not surprisingly, Philadelphia’s food professionals want Michelin. Nicole Cashman, whose public relations company’s roster includes Stephen Starr’s restaurants, said the city saw a direct increase in culinary tourism and business when the Beard Foundation began hosting events and the local restaurants started winning more awards. “The Michelin Guide would help take all of this to the next level,” she said.
Michelin awards stars with their reviews — 1 (“worth a stop”), 2 (“worth a detour”), or 3 (“worth a journey”). Beard honors the owners, chef, and restaurants themselves and does not review.
Yin said Michelin stars would generate more than dollars and prestige. “They would also draw even more talent via those aspirational chefs who want to work for a Michelin-starred restaurant and may overlook Philadelphia because we don’t currently have stars,” she said. “Bringing in a fresh talent pool continues to make us better.”
Further, Yin said, “as our scene has evolved, the bar has continuously been raised in restaurants of all types, and if Michelin [recognizes] the diversity of Philadelphia’s dining scene, it will continue to ensure that our industry and industry jobs continue to thrive and provide an opportunity to all. Hopefully, the arrival of Michelin will continue to support collaboration between our chef community and even more connection between businesses of all sizes.”
Local criticism
When Michelin enters a market, the local critics naturally take notice. Tom Sietsema, the Washington Post’s longtime food critic, said Michelin’s arrival in Washington in 2016 was a big deal, as it was one of the first U.S. cities outside of New York to be covered by a guide.
As the hometown critic, Sietsema acknowledges that he “might have a little different take” on Michelin. Initially, he said, he quibbled with some of its selections as elitist; he said Michelin has improved.
But he said he was uncomfortable with how the guide defines the D.C. market. “For instance, good for the Inn at Little Washington for scoring three stars,” he said. “But it’s a couple of hours from ‘big’ Washington, and no other Virginia restaurant is included.” Michelin also has included some temporarily closed restaurants, such as Reverie in Georgetown, which shuttered after a fire in summer 2022. “Those kinds of inclusions don’t really foster credibility or trust,” Sietsema said. “But Michelin nevertheless let it keep its star, and I think that’s kind of ridiculous. I think someone like a local critic wouldn’t let that stand.”
The local audiences also know their local critics, he said. “We don’t know who these people are. Pete Wells [at the New York Times], you know, Craig LaBan [at The Inquirer], you know. They have an archive of work. You can look at their bios. You can decide, ‘Oh, I like this critic’ or ‘I don’t like this critic,’ but at least you know who we are and where we’re coming from.”
Is there any downside to having Michelin in a city?
“Well, from a chef’s perspective, no,” Sietsema said. “I mean, from my standpoint, I think all competition is good. It keeps people on their toes. It keeps people mindful of what’s going on. So I welcome competitors.”