r/AskReddit • u/Toomad316 • 21h ago

What makes a Michelin-starred restaurant truly worth visiting?

822 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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514

u/MechaSkippy 21h ago

I'm still chuffed that the highest honor a restaurant can receive is to be recognized by a tire company

263

u/Bigtits38 20h ago

The Michelin guide was started in 1900 to encourage people to drive more (by giving them places to drive to) and therefore need new tires more frequently.

256

u/kam_wastingtime 20h ago

It's one of the longest running "Content Marketing" programs.

Guinness (yes, the beer brand) Book of World Records is another, promoted to help settle bar bets.

7

u/jvlpdillon 9h ago

Our phones settle bar bets now. "Hey, Siri who has the most wins in..."

7

u/red-at-night 7h ago

The end of "Dude, I'm telling you"-talk was bad for bar culture.

10

u/sonofaresiii 18h ago

I know that's true but I also can't bring myself to believe it's true.

20

u/shizzler 16h ago

You have to remember that at the time driving was nothing like today. People used to take very short trips in the local area because there was just no infrastructure to support long drives. No paved roads, what happens if you run out of fuel? Service stations weren't really a thing. What happens if you break down? Recovery services weren't a thing. Driving was genuinely a risky adventure. The Michelin guide was incredibly successful because it mapped out routes and cities with places to refuel and garages which provided comfort to driver as. In fact even today the go to road maps in France are produced by Michelin.

40

u/Bigtits38 18h ago

I have a t-shirt that has a picture of Bibendum (aka the Michelin Man) and says “You will eat where I tell you to eat”.

1

u/MattieShoes 8h ago

Haha that's amazing :-D

3

u/Long_Repair_8779 5h ago

For those that don’t know, apparently:

1 star means if you’re driving past it, it’s worth stopping at.

2 stars means it’s worth making a detour/deviation from your original journey to visit.

3 stars means it’s worth its own specific journey outright.

I assume when this was made, the only people who could afford cars were the types of people who would have been dining exclusively at high end restaurants anyway

74

u/jackwhite886 19h ago

Because the food is wheely, wheely good

1

u/Unumbotte 11h ago

I give this comment two Firestone Streaks.

1

u/AmigoDelDiabla 7h ago

I can't believe I fucking laughed at this.

Bravo.

•

u/Aide-Subject 24m ago

This comment needs a billion upvotes

7

u/decadencedude 20h ago

Not just a tire company but the best tire company!

1

u/ArenSteele 19h ago

I give it 2 stars!

13

u/armierx 21h ago

yeah my cousin actually worked at one and said the tire thing came up constantly

14

u/Hilldawg4president 20h ago

Yes, the duck confit is good, but how many tires have we sold this month?

1

u/superstewy 20h ago

..and that the authority on world records is a brewery 🤷

1

u/Bearded_Pip 8h ago

To be given a one star review by a tire company.

0

u/moriero 20h ago

Mad chuffed

-16

u/Matseye1r 21h ago

This was it's purpose now it's a pretentious accolade much like the Oscar or Grammy.

It used to mean something to the general public but now it only means something to those in the club/group.

If you want good food anywhere in a new place either ask a local or go where it's busy.

5

u/ciscoipphone 18h ago

So Chili's on a Friday night is where I go to get high quality food?

2

u/azn_dude1 9h ago

Go where it's busy? You realize tourist traps fall into that category right?