Texas Gets a Michelin Guide
Texas will become the 11th Michelin Guide destination in North America
Michelin is on the move.
Today, the tire company/culinary guide announced it would release a Texas Michelin Guide.
The Guide will be released later in the year and, much like the Florida Guide will only cover a portion of the state. The Guide will offer ratings and insight into Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio restaurants.
The Guide will be coming to the Lone Star State with the assistance of Travel Texas, which is responsible for the promotion of Texas as a travel destination. Travel Texas is part of the Texas Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office.
Although the contract terms for how much Texas plunked down to have Michelin bring the guide to the state are confidential, The Huston Chronicle reported that Houston First Corp., the city’s destination marketing organization, confirmed it is paying Michelin $90,000 per year for the next three years.
In 2021, Visit Florida paid Michelin $150,000 to bring the guide to the Sunshine State in 2022. That’s a good investment for tourism boards whose job is to promote a city or state’s attractions, dining, and accommodations. According to Visit Florida, Tampa’s county annually brings in $1.09 billion in food spending, Orlando’s $7.33 billion, and Miami’s $4.88 billion.
For what it’s worth, the Michelin Guide insists the funding only helps pay for the costs incurred in creating the Guide — and does not factor into which restaurants receive entry into the guides.
Michelin sends anonymous Guide inspectors to restaurants to dine and review for possible entry based on five universal criteria: quality products; harmony of flavors; mastery of cooking techniques; the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year). It should be noted that decor and service are not generally considered when rating a restaurant for the Guide.
Inspectors then award Stars – one, two, or three for excellence. The inspectors also award Michelin Bib Gourmands, which spotlight restaurants offering great quality food at good prices, along with “Recommended” restaurants that are included in the Guide.
Currently, inspectors are dining their way through Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio in search of the best and the brightest restaurants in those cities.
Texas is known for its beef, barbecue, and Tex-Mex cuisine, but it’s also home to an array of fine dining restaurants. The state has a rich culinary scene, fueled, in part, by CIA Texas in San Antonio, where a new generation of toques are trained.
Michelin published its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have since been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2008, statewide 2019); Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Atlanta (2023); and Mexico (2024).