Michelin stars: Marketing ploy?
A viral video explains how Michelin created restaurant stars in 1926 as a marketing ploy to boost tire sales via road trips [https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2032333667738034673]. The video has over 23,000 views.
The Michelin Guide was first published in 1900 by brothers André and Édouard Michelin, founders of the Michelin tire company. With fewer than 3,000 cars in France at the time, the guide aimed to increase demand for automobiles, and thus, tires. The original guide was free and provided maps, tire repair advice, and listings of hotels, mechanics, and gas stations. In 1920, Michelin began charging for the guide after André Michelin found copies being used to prop up a workbench. The guide began awarding stars to restaurants in 1926, starting with a single star for "fine dining establishments". The three-star system, which denotes restaurants "worth a special journey," was introduced in 1931. The Michelin Guide's influence grew, and it expanded internationally, with the first guide for Italy in 1956 and the first American guide in 2005, focusing on New York City. The guide even played a role in WWII, with detailed maps of French cities included in a 1944 edition for Allied forces. Today, Michelin stars are highly coveted, and the guide is seen as a benchmark for culinary excellence.
