Michelin may have dinged Virginia's food scene, docs suggest

Axios

03-06-2025

The $120,000 a year Michelin wanted to charge Virginia to be in its forthcoming Southern restaurant guide was steeply discounted compared with what other Southern states are paying.
Why it matters: Virginia's rate may have been a statement on the state's restaurant scene's lack of "maturity," suggest records from the Louisiana Office of Tourism obtained by Axios New Orleans.
The big picture: As we reported in April, Virginia opted out of being included in the Michelin Guide to the South largely due to the price tag.
The state tourism office would've had to pay $120,000 a year for three years to be included.
Yes, but: Six other Southern states opted in — to the tune of $1.65 million a year in a three-year contract, Axios New Orleans' Chelsea Brasted reports.
That includes an annual $350,000 each from Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
And $125,000 annually each from Mississippi and Alabama.
Zoom in: Why the different amounts? Michelin tells Axios in a statement that the state rates were set by Travel South USA, a regional marketing agency that contracted with Michelin to bring the guide to the South.
Travel South USA then subcontracted with tourism agencies across each of the states, including city partners, to pool the funds and hammer out the details.
Travel South USA didn't return Axios' request for comment on the rates.
Behind the scenes: A slide included in the trove of Michelin documents and emails about expanding to the South may offer a clue.
It shows a map of states across the South in varying shades of blue.
The colors emphasize each state's " culinary maturity," according to an email from Michelin. That's a key standard for determining whether the guide enters a market, The New York Times reported.
Notably, Michelin has Virginia in a medium shade of blue — lighter than the dark blue for Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — suggesting the group views the state's restaurant scene as not yet fully mature.
The intrigue: Michelin didn't comment on Virginia's medium-blue shade or its view of the state's scene, but its anonymous chief inspector for the Michelin Guide North America did offer some insight into what makes a scene culinarily mature.
"Destinations that prove worthy of establishing a Guide have a high-quality culinary scene along with a density of restaurants," per a statement from the chief inspector.
Specifically, when inspectors go out, they're "looking for restaurants that embody the five universal criteria," which are, according to the inspector:
Quality products.
Harmony of flavors.
Mastery of cooking techniques.
Voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine.
Consistency between each visit (each restaurant is inspected several times a year) and through the menu as a whole.
Plus, according to the inspector, Michelin won't enter into partner conversations if it doesn't think a dining scene — in this case a state — has "the gastronomy maturity to warrant further exploration."
The bottom line: It appears Virginia's discounted rate may have come with a side of shade.