The Michelin-guide: how to use a bandenboer a foodie was

Posted on 26-06-2016 at 16:04 by jaapiyo – 11 Comments”

A piece of meat describe it as rubbery is usually not a compliment for the chef. How has Michelin itself is actually the position of the main restaurantrecensent in the world itself?

Michelin began in 1900 with the red guide. Also today, despite the demise of the print media, for different regions, this book in full for 2016 updated version even purchase. But, why does a manufacturer of pneu’s at all on such a book? We need to move ourselves in the zeitgeist of more than 100 years ago, when the world only had just met with the first cars.

In those times, it was both the driving of a car, when visiting a nice restaurant for exquisite dishes in a new occupation for the well-to-do society. In 1895 there were in all France only about 350 cars. You drove so not every day to work and back, to the airport or to the school of your children. Driving was not a necessity, but most of all a fun new activity to pass the time to fill in. Michelin wild like that there are so many possible reasons were there to take the car, because that was so good for their business. By describing hotels and restaurants, they hoped people a reason to give to pull with the car.

The first guide in 1900 was a whopping 399 pages thick and offered all information that drivers needed to complete a round by France. If the the brothers Michelin was not with the bike, but by car. In the guide were the only restaurants that were part of a hotel and instead of a accurate culinary review was actually more of a list of all the dining options at the hotels. A large part of the pages was also taken up by information about how a Michelin tire to mount and maintain, and by advertising to other manufacturers of car parts. With each other represented those two cases a little less than 100 pages of the guide. Entrepreneurial brothers so, that Michelin’s. Especially cards and short pieces of information about cities, towns and villages formed the rest of the guide. That information was essential for travellers, because there were no gasoline stations. You had to know which store you have a couple of kegs of petrol could tap. Also car repair shops often went to the end of the summer, after the ‘car season’, close.

A nice detail about the maps and route descriptions in the guide, is that they were of a fairly high level. That is explained by the fact that Andre Michelin for seven years for the French government, has worked as a cartographer. The cards were even so good that the allied soldiers Normandy stormed allegedly Michelin guides had to feel good to be able to orient yourself in unknown territory.

Initially, the book was free, but, from 1920 began to Michelin money to ask for guide. This was a surprisingly successful company, because they sold about 100,000 copies per year. In 1953 there were 50,000 comments submitted by the guide-buyers to the information, where necessary. A bit like that sometimes on autoblog goes in the comments.

It was also in this period that the guide still more road began to go dry and is more focused on entertainment and having fun at the places where you’re driving. So there was also the green guide in addition to the red guide, for the visit of beautiful pieces of nature. The simple lists of restaurants in the first version was expanded with reviews of fixed service adopted accusers. Good restaurants received an honorable mention. Really exceptional restaurants had to have one to three Michelin stars. Three stars meant that the food alone is sufficient reason to travel to the location of the corresponding restaurant.

Due to the success of the guide, fell also on abroad. The New Yorker and Time Magazine wrote, for example. Time called the guide even extend to ‘The Tourist’Bible’. The consistency of the guide, the quality of the cards and the international attention for a number of reasons for the success of the guide. A factor which it is likely to make is that that also played an important role in the success of the guide today, it is the elitist origins that the guide, in his arise had. The idea to about 1900 with a free guide that is in the whole of France, only 12 restaurants is simply not as exceptional, was in itself of course not a profitable venture. It did however also not, because Michelin saw it mainly as a marketing expense. Despite the fact that the guide at one point cost money, it was by the experts in hard diesnt were taken still a loss-making business in and of itself. But in the eye of the public raised this is precisely the credibility of the guide. As a journalist, in 1954, noted:

“The Michelin Guide is unique among commercial guidebooks, in that it makes a virtue or losing money, and by doing so at the rate of some tens or thousands of dollars a year, it has achieved a reputation for thoroughness, discrimination, and incorruptibility that is also unique.”

Just because Michelin only a few restaurants awarded with stars and initially lose money on this venture, were the stars of their magic to keep and to be plain commerce. In any case, in the eye of the many fans of the guide.

During the second half of the 20th century, Michelin is likely, however, profit made on the guide, but with the rise of the internet are those profits allegedly evaporates. Michelin does not itself endorse, but when prompted, had a spokesman for Michelin Travel and Leisure North America know that he himself does not know whether the division is profitable:

“It’s considered an investment, really.”

And therefore the circle for the guide as around to as Bibendum. Sure is that as long as Michelin, the guide continues to make, even hard-nosed chefs like Gordon Ramsey nagelbijtend on their latest reviews will wait. (via Priceonomics)

Thanks to Lotte for the tip!

Image Credit: Mara’s brussels sprouts, crab, mandarin & foie gras at De Librije in 2015, via Twitter