2024-03-17 05:15:00
NEW YORK (CNN) People who have made reservations at a Michelin-starred restaurant may wonder why a rating guide for top restaurants has the same name as a tire manufacturer.
All-weather tires and fine dining restaurants have little in common. But for chefs and restaurateurs, receiving recognition from 100-year-old tire manufacturer Michelin is a long-held dream.
Although the Michelin Guide has evolved into a highly influential rating system, it was never originally intended to direct people to the highest-ranked restaurants. Although its success is now legendary, it started with a sly advertising campaign.
family business
In the late 19th century, brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin founded a tire company in Clermont-Ferrand, a rural town about four hours south of Paris. At that time, fewer than 3,000 cars were in circulation in France. Driving was not an easy task, as the road network was not developed and gasoline was difficult to obtain. The Michelin brothers needed to give people more reasons to drive their cars.
Introducing the Michelin Guide, a pocket-sized red booklet.
In the preface to the first edition in 1900, André explained that the guidebook “provides all the information drivers need when traveling through France, including gas stations and repair shops, as well as accommodation and restaurants.” ing.
Michelin brothers Andre and Edouard, who founded Michelin/Culture Club/Getty Images
They reasoned that if people drove more, their tires would eventually wear out, leading to more tires being purchased.
According to Michelin, the guidebook has been distributed free of charge for some time. However, Andre stopped distributing the guidebook for free after witnessing it being used to support a workbench at a repair shop.
According to Olivier Darmont’s book “The Michelin Man’s First Hundred Years,” which was later translated into English, the decision to pay for distribution without relying on advertising was made because “cars were becoming cheaper and had better performance.” .
As a result, more French people want to travel within the country, and the Michelin Guide has become increasingly indispensable. To better support drivers, Michelin has opened an office where travelers can consult experts to plan their itinerary and get road maps from around Europe. This is a concept similar to that of the American Automobile Association (AAA), which was established in the United States around the same time.
“Most of the information came from traveling Michelin tire salesmen. They spent a lot of time on the road, so they were a very reliable source of information,” Darmont said.
There is no evidence that the guidebook increased tire sales. However, Darmont points out that it has become a new source of revenue for the company and served as an advertising tool to increase public confidence in driving.
Today, Michelin is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of approximately $24 billion (approximately 3.6 trillion yen) and produces approximately 200 million tires annually. The Michelin Guide currently features more than 30,000 restaurants from three continents, and has sold more than 30 million copies.
From driving guide to badge of honor
In the late 1920s, restaurant ratings published in Michelin guidebooks became extremely influential. So the brothers set up a new business, hiring undercover investigators to determine whether a restaurant was a high-end restaurant. If a restaurant was judged to be high class, it was given one star.
This rating system has evolved, and the evaluation method established in the 1930s continues to this day. One star means the restaurant is “worth the trip,” two stars means it’s worth the detour, and three stars means it’s worth the trip.
1710681916
#History #Michelin #Guide #tire #company #rating #guide #top #restaurants #CNN.co.jp