Michelin on the tip of her tongue

Lin Fenghua

For more than 100 years, Michelin's reputation has been brought to every corner of the world by its tire products, and the image of naive tire man is really known to all women and children. However, not all Michelin products are dark: the Michelin guide is just "a little red in every black"-it is also called the "red guide" because its cover is always dark red. This portable mini manual seems inconspicuous, but it is a "gourmet bible" in the eyes of global gourmets.

People may question the connection between tires and food, but Michelin founders Andre and Edward? Michelin brothers have given the answer: during the journey, Michelin is not only under your car, but also in your hands and side.

Creativity triggered by wheels

In addition to listing the best hotels in various places in detail, the most attractive thing about the red guide is that it fairly lists the value-added restaurants carefully selected by Michelin food detectives and ranks them with different stars. Michelin brings not only glory and dreams, but also pressure and responsibility to restaurant chefs-they have become public figures under Michelin's "spotlight".

"Michelin Restaurant" is an honor awarded by "Red Guide", whose origin can be traced back to 1900. At that time, there were less than 4,000 cars on the roads in France, and driving was an out-and-out adventure. In order to encourage people to travel by car and promote tire consumption, Michelin Brothers decided to provide a brochure that can increase travel convenience.

1900 In August, the first edition of the red brochure entitled Michelin Guide was published, with a circulation of only 35,000 copies, including information on gas stations and repair shops, and it was distributed free of charge in garages and tire shops. Andre wrote in the preface: "This guide was born at the turn of the century and will coexist with the century."

In 1920, restaurant information was included in the red guide for the first time with a special evaluation system. Later, when Andre visited the dealer, he found that they actually used the red guide to cushion the legs of the table, so he decided to stop providing it for free because "people only respect what they pay for." 1922 "red guide" began to be formally priced and sold.

"Stimulate people's willingness to buy tires through the temptation of food", this wonderful logic may only be established by French people who love food. However, it turns out that the Red Guide not only coexists with the 20th century, but also enters the next century.

The Power of "Gourmet Bible"

Michelin began to award stars to high-quality restaurants from 1926, but it was not until 1936 that the star rating system was basically improved, and it is still in use today: one star-"very good in its kind", two stars-"worth visiting" and three stars-"worth making a special trip"; Details such as restaurant decoration, table decoration, the number of waiters and the level of facilities are distinguished by one to five pairs of keys. Every year, the editor of the Guide will revise all practical information, rankings and star ratings, and hundreds of thousands of pieces of information will be revised and updated.

Year after year, the red guide never stopped moving forward, and even played a unique role during the war. 1944 In the spring, before the Normandy landing, the Allies discovered a problem: all the road signs in French towns were destroyed, and the ground troops might get lost. After in-depth study and the consent of Michelin management, the allied forces reprinted the 1939 version of the Red Guide, which included hundreds of detailed city street maps, the only difference being that the cover was marked "for official use only".

After the publication of the Red Guide for many years, the introduction of restaurants and hotels has evolved from a few words to half a page or even a whole page of words and pictures, and the service and food quality have been described in detail. The places introduced in the "Red Guide" can almost meet the consumption needs of all kinds of people, and truly "enrich the people and save money". At present, there are 26 versions of Michelin's "Red Guide" in the world, introducing restaurants and hotels in more than 20 countries and regions.

The person in charge of Michelin's "Red Guide" business told reporters that the role of "Red Guide" in the global food industry should not be underestimated-every star it gives can increase the turnover by about 20%. As long as they get a star rating, even restaurant owners in remote mountainous towns can sit back and wait for the money to roll in.

20 1 1 year, the reporter went to Europe for sightseeing and witnessed the local influence of the red scarf. Walk into any service station along the expressway, and you will see Michelin's "red guide" and series of maps "occupying" the core area of the book corner; On the streets of the city, any restaurant rated as a Michelin star will do everything possible to improve the popularity of the signboard and avoid letting the guests who come here "enter the door."

"007" handles cases with his tongue.

The whole European catering industry obediently abides by the rules of the game set by the red guide, and no one doubts whether Michelin, a big banker, will cheat. "We value our independence and detachment. The person in charge of Michelin's "Red Guide" business said. In order to ensure objectivity, all restaurants and hotels selected in the guide are collectively decided by Michelin food detectives and guide editors, and there is no charge for the selected ones. Every year, when the Red Guide is reprinted, it will reiterate five commitments to the 6,543,800+million readers around the world: anonymous access, independence and objectivity, careful selection, annual update and consistent standards.

Michelin food detective's life can be summarized by the following data: eating in restaurants about 250 times a year, staying in hotels 150 nights, visiting more than 800 merchants, and writing 1 100 reports. Most food detectives come from hotel management courses, and they have 5 to 10 years working experience in the hotel and tourism industry. The candidate's interview process includes having lunch with a senior food detective and writing a "discerning eye knows the pearl" report to show his insight. After being hired, food detectives must receive special training for six months and try out the restaurant accompanied by senior food detectives before they can perform their tasks alone.

Unlike the legendary British spy "007", Michelin food detective has no complicated equipment except a tongue that tastes delicious all over the world. They always visit various restaurants and hotels anonymously, reserve seats, order food, eat in advance and pay bills like ordinary customers, and taste the same food as other customers without any special preferential treatment. This is the reason why The Red Guide has gained such high recognition.

Food detectives usually spend three weeks a month traveling, looking for quality restaurants and hotels, and confirming whether to include or delete a business from the guide. The special meeting to discuss the award of stars is only held twice a year, and the director, editor-in-chief and food detective of the guide must attend. Only with the unanimous consent of the participants can the star be awarded.

The red guide is both a paradise and a purgatory for restaurants: once it is selected, it means that it has the potential to become a "kitchen god", but since then, it has to bear double the hard work and pressure to maintain this honor. However, for Michelin, a "red guide" can still win the fans of global diners after 100 years, which is the greatest success. From a more practical point of view, Michelin may also want to use this "gourmet Bible" to keep the appetite of gourmets and their tire customers at the same time.