The Michelin Guide is a game changer for Boston
This, to me, was the rub: To get Michelin to come to a region, local tourism boards pony up substantial sums. Visit California
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A pay-to-play system can feel morally icky, favoring those with deep pockets (as the restaurant business
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I've still changed my mind. A Michelin Guide is good for Boston.
It will boost the profile of the local restaurant scene. It might bring in more tourism dollars. It could lead to sharper, more consistent, more fully realized restaurants for people to enjoy. Diners will surely benefit. Cheers to all that. But mostly I think it's excellent for morale. Ambitious chefs need goals and challenges in order to keep growing. Without that, talent gets restless and moves on. Earning a Michelin star would be nice; having Michelin stars to work toward matters more.
Food media has changed. The country used to have restaurant critics funded by publications working in every market. Boston alone had multiple reviewers. If you didn't like the Globe's, you could look to the Herald, Boston magazine, the Phoenix, the Improper, and so on. Social media is now the most accessible place to locate assessments of restaurants, often coming from influencers, many of whom are astute, clever, honest, and smart, and some of whom dine for free in exchange for coverage. Restaurant-going is expensive, and someone needs to fund it. We live in a system that's sometimes pay-to-play already. Let's be transparent about it.
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To put the Michelin fee in perspective, this is a city where a liquor license can cost up to $600,000. Paying for Michelin to come check us out is the restaurant world equivalent of SAT prep: Is it gross that the system has evolved to favor students who can afford to take a course that gives them an advantage? Yes. Are you going to shoot your own child in the foot by not enrolling them if you are able?
The guides' reach is
In a recent
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Michelin stars, shining in the distance, add a new dimension to conversations like this. They open up possibility for chefs with big ideas and dreams. They are ammunition for those chefs when they seek investment for concepts that push the envelope. And for those who do receive Michelin recognition, it will be a valuable jumping-off point for that next project — tangible proof that this small, yet high-cost market can and will support and reward risk. Tangible proof that Boston is anything but a bad restaurant town.
Devra First can be reached at
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