Episode Details

In 1900, brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin gave away a free guide to help France's few motorists find fuel, mechanics, and hotels, all to sell more tires. This episode follows how that little red book became the most feared judge of fine dining, from charging for it in 1922 to the star system and its road-trip wording, like worth a detour and worth a special journey.

We look at the secrecy around anonymous inspectors, the Allied use of Michelin maps in 1944, and former inspector Pascal Remy's allegations about staffing and favoritism. We also discuss claims of cultural bias, tourism boards paying for guide coverage, the pressure on chefs including Bernard Loiseau and Marco Pierre White, fine dining's reliance on unpaid interns, and the 2017 mix-up that gave a star to the wrong restaurant.

• Why the Michelin brothers made a restaurant guide to boost tire sales
• How charging for the guide and adding stars built its authority
• How anonymous inspectors work, and the allegations in Pascal Remy's tell-all book
• How tourism boards in Korea, Thailand, and U.S. cities now pay to bring the guide in
• What Michelin stars cost chefs, from crushing pressure to unpaid staging labor