Fort Worth and four other major Texas cities are investing $2.7 million in potential economic benefits expected to be created by the Michelin Guide, which recognizes restaurants across the globe for food quality.
The state’s travel office paid $450,000 annually for marketing and promotional efforts tied to the expansion, along with a $90,000 per year contribution from the cities of Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, tourism officials said. The three-year agreement — totaling $270,000 per city — is intended to increase tourism in the state, but does not guarantee a set number of stars or other Michelin designations for each participating city.
“Texas is one of the top destinations for visitors from across the nation and the world, and with the Michelin Guide spotlighting the diverse and flavorful Texas culinary scene, we will continue to attract even more global travelers to the Lone Star State,” said Tim Fennell, director of the Travel Texas office.
The five cities will spend over three years a collective $1.35 million, which will be matched by the state during that time.
Michelin Guide, launched by brothers André and Édouard Michelin in 1900, began awarding star ratings to restaurants in 1926. Fewer than 2,000 of the guide’s roughly 17,000 restaurants are located in the U.S. but that number could change after inspectors visit Fort Worth and other Texas cities.
Fort Worth officials said they are excited that some local restaurants could get global recognition from Michelin, which is arriving in Texas for the first time. The local funding for the Michelin Guide — $90,000 annually paid through Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourism arm — is almost the cost equivalent of leasing two prominent billboards in a major city for about a year at an average rate of $3,500 per month, officials said.
“With 1 in every 3 tourism dollars being spent on food and beverage by Fort Worth visitors, the largest tourism-spend category grossing more than $760 million last year, it was a no-brainer to join efforts in bringing Michelin to Texas,” Mayor Mattie Parker said.
The Michelin payment from Visit Fort Worth stems from its $5.56 million marketing and public relations budget this fiscal year, which comprises about 31.5% of its $17.6 million annual budget.
“Supporting our culinary scene is a priority in Visit Fort Worth’s strategic plan and an important part of bringing conventions, sports events, and leisure travelers to our city,” Jessica Hill, who doubles as Visit Fort Worth vice president of marketing and the city’s film commissioner, said.
Houston officials echoed the potential impact of Michelin, including Holly Clapham, chief marketing officer for Houston First, which spends about $11 million annually on marketing efforts for the city of Houston. She said the Michelin brand name is a perfect partnership since the city has more than 11,000 diverse restaurants — one of the top reasons visitors are drawn to the city.
The organization’s $90,000 commitment “will provide chefs with a huge opportunity as a whole,” she said, adding that the Michelin Guide will aid in helping restaurants recruit chefs from other cities.
Zane Harrington, director of communications for Visit Dallas, an independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization that contracts with the city of Dallas, said that the city’s $90,000 yearly contribution would help elevate Dallas restaurants.
Michelin practices
This relatively new practice of public funding in the guide’s long history has stirred criticism of fostering a pay-for-play model and encouraging conformity in the culinary world. Thousands of restaurants are recognized but relatively few can boast a one, two or three star rating despite guide expansion into new cities and countries.
Critics argue that the addition of new categories like the Bib Gourmand and Green Star in recent years dilute the power of the guide’s brand by broadening the number of restaurants that can say they are “Michelin recognized.”
Patricia Sharpe, a James Beard award-winning food writer and restaurant critic for Texas Monthly magazine, said the use of public funds will benefit Texas restaurants.
“Michelin validates us,” Sharpe said. “Its arrival says, ‘Texas is in the big leagues now, gastronomically speaking.’ People are surprised that states and cities pay tourist dollars to get the French company to come rate their restaurants,” Sharpe said by email. “But it’s the same as giving tax breaks and financial incentives to lure automotive, high-tech and sports companies. Jobs and tourist dollars boost the economy. A rising tide raises all boats.”
Other voices in the culinary world have raised concerns about Michelin’s practices. Las Vegas food writer John Curtas said Michelin Guide is “now in the business of promoting restaurants, not objectively rating them.”
“Far from being a scrupulous, trustworthy consumer guide, it has now been exposed as nothing but an instrument of advertising,” he said in a 2019 column about Michelin.
The notoriously opaque guide does not offer specifics on how its inspectors evaluate a destination but noted that the company is always evaluating new destinations.
“The Michelin Guide is unique because it evaluates only the cuisine itself,” Michelin spokesperson Carly Grieff wrote in an email to the Fort Worth Report. “But it can also mention service quality and decor, and describe the experience you can get at a certain restaurant.”
Trained anonymous inspectors will visit each restaurant multiple times and evaluate service. Establishments are judged on the same criteria: quality of the products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, the voice and personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine, and consistency between multiple visits and the menu as a whole.
Restaurant designations will remain for a year, with the opportunity for the business to maintain that distinction or earn new stars based on subsequent reviews.
“There is no annual fee for any restaurant or hotel to be included in our selection, as our selection process is completely independent,” Grieff said.
Chefs anticipate benefits from Michelin consideration
Many Fort Worth chefs have welcomed Michelin’s arrival. Bernard Tronche, founder of the French restaurant Saint-Emilion on West 7th Street, said the North Texas food scene is long overdue for this type of recognition.
But he’s not holding his breath for a Michelin star.
“I would be surprised,” Tronche said. “But I would be happily surprised.”
Le Margot executive chef Graham Elliot said he welcomed recent changes to the guide and its expansion into Texas and Mexico.
“The philosophy and what criteria you’re judged on is execution, quality of ingredients, creativity, consistency, and also what the chef’s vision is,” Elliot said. Everything else, “that’s where I feel you can kind of break the rules and say, you know, it’s going to be in an alley.”
Chef Juan Ramón Cárdenas, founder of Don Artemio Mexican Heritage in the Cultural District, was also heartened by the guide’s recent expansion into Texas.
“I think it will help the whole metroplex,” he said. “It will help us to strive to be better.”
Connie Bally, who runs the Fort Worth Foodies TX page on Facebook, said the use of $270,000 in Fort Worth tax dollars for the Michelin Guide might be a good return on the investment when it comes to local tourism. However, she said, the three-year contribution from Fort Worth “wasn’t enough” to highlight the city’s talented chefs.
“It could be a potentially wonderful use of tax dollars, but it remains to be seen if the program will be run consistently,” said Bally, who has a background in finance.
The Michelin Guide, she said, could help put Fort Worth on the culinary map, given that other Texas cities tend to get more media attention about their restaurants.
“I look at this as an investment in our community,” she said.
Over at Paris 7th Restaurant Français, chef and joint owner Mark Hitri said he hopes that this global recognition will help keep talent in Fort Worth rather than leaving for larger cities.
“Fort Worth is growing, and tourism is here,” Hitri said.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
Marcheta Fornoff covers arts and culture for the Fort Worth Report. Reach her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.