The new destination of the Michelin Guide, which is one of the most prestigious restaurant evaluation systems in the gastronomy sector in the world, is Istanbul. The restaurants to be selected by the inspectors in Istanbul, the 38th destination of the Michelin Guide after Dubai and Estonia, will be announced very soon.
The international Michelin Guide, which is published in thirty-seven different countries every year, evaluates restaurants in terms of service quality, taste and atmosphere, and gives stars to restaurants in return. In order to be a Michelin-starred restaurant in a country, the Michelin guide must be published in that country. It is known that there are no Michelin-starred restaurants in Turkey yet, as it is one of the countries where the relevant guide has not been published until recently. The restaurants selected by Istanbul's participation in the guide will be announced on October 11 and there will now be starred restaurants in Turkey.
At the ceremony held at Atatürk Cultural Center in Taksim on April 21, 2022, it was announced that Istanbul is the 38th Destination highlighted in the field of gastronomy by the Michelin Guide inspectors. Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec and various guests attended the ceremony.

“FROM MICHELIN TIRES TO THE MICHELIN STAR”

In the 1900s, tire sales were low due to the shortage of vehicles in France. The owners of Michelin, a tire manufacturing company, had prepared the Michelin Guide to increase vehicle and tire sales. Originally distributed only in France, this guide contained a lot of information that could be useful to drivers, such as maps, repair instructions, tire replacement, car mechanics and gas stations. With the spread of the guide in Europe, rated hotel and restaurant information was added to the guide so that car drivers could benefit from it. This situation also increased the international recognition of the guide. The guide, which spread throughout Europe, began to be designed so that tourists could easily find hotels and restaurants where they could stay.

“OSCAR OF THE WORLD OF GASTRONOMY”

Today, Michelin-starred restaurants are shown as the best restaurants in the world. Restaurants to be included in the guide are selected by undisclosed auditors. The inspections consider five main categories: quality of ingredients, preparation and cooking skills, creativity, value for money, and stability in the restaurant's quality standards. As a result of the audits, successful restaurants can receive one, two or three stars. One star is a very good restaurant in the area of ​​the restaurant; two stars, the restaurant is excellent enough to change people's course; three stars indicate that the restaurant is worth a special trip. One-star restaurants are subject to regular inspections every one or two years. It is known that the more stars a restaurant has, the more frequent inspections are made.

Source: Tüzünkan, D., Uca, S., Albayrak, A. ve Toanoglou, M. (2018). Social Media Marketing In Restaurants: An Evaluation Of Michelin-Starred Restaurants. International Gastronomy Tourism Studies Congress. 20-22 September 2018.