The Michelin Guide has announced that it will now update its list of recommended restaurants monthly, instead of waiting for its annual ‘Revelation’ ceremony to reveal new hotspots.
Starting today (25 August), the guide will announce new additions to its list of recommendations on the last Wednesday of every month. This will give readers a steady stream of restaurants to visit throughout the year, or as Michelin puts it, ‘strengthen the ties that bind us to food lovers’.
The decision to change its approach comes at a time when Michelin has had the chance to reinvent; during the Covid pandemic, the guide was forced to go digital-only and promised to ‘support’ restaurants which had been forced to close their dining rooms for the better part of a year. This change in circumstance seems to have propelled the organisation, often touted as stubborn, to change into adopting a contemporary style of delivering recommendations to diners. These fresh recommendations will be available both on its website and the Michelin Guide app, with added restaurants clearly labelled as ‘new’.
Speaking about the changes, a spokesperson for the guide commented: “In a period that is still very complicated and in which the restaurant industry continues to face unprecedented challenges and uncertainties, we hope that these regular revelations and updates will provide opportunities to highlight the profession, and we invite everyone to discover and support the restaurants around them.”
Although Michelin will now regularly add restaurants to its list of recommendations, it seems that the handing out of stars will still be reserved for its annual Revelations ceremony. In its announcement, Michelin confirmed that distinctions such as the Bib Gourmand (an award below a Michelin Star which still denotes a level of quality and value), the newly announced Green Star to mark excellence of sustainable practices within restaurants and the eponymous Michelin Stars would all still continue to be announced at its annual ceremony.
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