Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Restaurant watchers call it the “Michelin effect.” It’s the impact on a restaurant from having the endorsement of the famous Michelin Guide, and it can also mean the impact on a city or even a region from having Michelin in the mix, too. Michelin attention can turn local restaurants into destinations, make a chef’s career and generate more gastro tourism. As with all that seems to glitter like gold, it comes with potential perils. We’re about to see this in action in our own backyard and around adjacent regions we know well. We’ll see it both immediately, in bolstered prestige and bulging reservations books for restaurants that pick up the highest Michelin honors. And we’ll see it over time, through seasonal tourism cycles, in the careers of chefs already here and yet to come, in ways restaurants themselves may change and in ways that will surely vary by locale, as Michelin plays out in dining scenes as different as New Orleans, Acadiana and coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Michelin, of course, is the French-based brand that has set a global standard for fine dining with its Michelin Star ratings (it’s part of the same company that makes Michelin tires too). It’s about to release its first Michelin Guide American South, covering not only Louisiana but also Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. The restaurants that win the first stars, and a whole harvest of other Michelin distinctions at other levels, will be revealed Monday (Nov. 3) at an event in Greenville, South Carolina. I’ll be there following the action as it unfolds. People have been making their own predictions on which local names will get awards, and you can find my updated prognostications on New Orleans contenders here. Which New Orleans restaurants will win Michelin Stars next week? See Ian McNulty's picks Below are my predictions for the bigger Michelin effect. Getting to the table From its start early in the 20th century, Michelin has been for travelers. The restaurant guide was originally devised to encourage people to drive more (and thus drive the need for more tires), giving recommendations on where to find good food along the way. Today, Michelin is recognized around the world, but it does not bring its reviews everywhere. From its home base in France, its guides have expanded by market, landing in areas it deems destination-worthy for great food, and (critically these days) where state and city tourism agencies help fund its work. That financial backing from groups around the South led to the format and boundaries for the sweeping new Michelin Guide American South across six states. Michelin says it retains editorial control of its picks, but the partnerships bring the brand to the table, and the regions involved are banking on a rise in tourism in return. The Michelin era could shape the restaurants travelers find, too. Culinary accelerator New Orleans has been a famous food destination at least since the time of Lafcadio Hearn. The millions of visitors who now come annually are not here for mountains or beaches, but for the city's culture, with dining at distinctive local restaurants usually at the top of the itinerary. The 30 best New Orleans restaurants in 2025 in every price range, picked for the locals With Michelin, local restaurants will be recognized in a system that inspires some people to travel specifically for bucket list dining experiences. They’re more likely to fly in now rather than bounce along on Michelin tires, and they tend to be a well-heeled, international set, just the type tourism boosters covet. Casual wildcards notwithstanding, Michelin Star restaurants are typically very expensive. But the guide is not limited to the Crescent City, and here’s where things could get really interesting. Great food is a birthright all over Louisiana, but outside of New Orleans, it doesn’t always register as robust restaurant scenes. That is starting to change, and Michelin recognition could be a powerful accelerator. Restaurants with Michelin recognition immediately become known as “Michelin restaurants.” The potential to win a star, or just to work in restaurants that have them, can be a magnet for culinary and hospitality talent to areas up for Michelin assessment. What would a Michelin star restaurant look like in Baton Rouge, or downtown Lafayette, or somewhere down a country highway? Will people mount food tours of rural Louisiana for more than a Cajun butcher shop romp? This Michelin effect could make an enormous difference along the Gulf Coast, where a confluence of demographic shifts and trends are already creating a much richer, more modern dining scene, busting the old image of little beyond beach burgers and baskets of royal reds. Michelin brings international attention wherever it goes, and the possibility of gaining it sets a new goal and reward. Pressure, identity For all the excitement evident in the dining scene over Michelin’s arrival, there is also some trepidation. Michelin Stars and other ratings are not permanent. Guides are updated annually, and restaurants can rise or fall out of them each year. This system can bring enormous pressure to meet and maintain Michelin’s standards. Operating a restaurant at the level that typically draws Michelin Stars is an expensive proposition, from the staffing levels to the groceries. This new regional guide arrives as restaurants across the spectrum have been grappling for years with higher costs just to maintain their own status quo. One of the often-cited concerns of Michelin’s power is its potential to shape a restaurant scene it covers, with restaurants mimicking styles that have won stars in other cities. The worst result would be a sort of homogenized luxury as chefs play to the guide. After all, the heart of local dining resides in restaurants you can only find here, not restaurants that could be anywhere with enough money to float them. For New Orleans in particular, another concern is how the overlay of a Michelin hierarchy, establishing the star haves and have-nots, could be a disruptor in the local restaurant community. Today, it’s one with a remarkable sense of collaboration and mutual support instead of cutthroat competition. Could star chasing change that?
