In the year 1900, brothers Andre & Edouard Michelin
(founders of Michelin Tyres) produced a little red book to help chauffeurs service
and repair their cars while at the same time locating hotels and restaurants for
their owners to sample as they travelled around France. Little did they know
that more than 112 years and 30 million copies later, the Guide they introduced
back in 1900 would become not only the best known but also the most well respected guide in
Europe, simply known to us all as The Michelin Guide
It started as a free of charge Guide, offered to individuals
who were brave enough to set off on un-paved, un-marked roads, in a car that
was less than reliable! – For them the Guide was simply a must – like a modern
day sat nav!
As cars became more popular and widespread so did the Guide.
It evolved with time; introducing maps in 1910, and introducing the first UK edition in 1911. It remained free of charge
until 1920 when it then became available for 7 francs. A ‘recommended hotel and
restaurants’ section was added in 1923, when a ‘star-rating’ also came into
practise for outstanding eateries. It is those very stars that are currently
the most definitive way of measuring whether a chef has reached the pinnacle of
their culinary practise.
Even during the war years of the 1940’s, the Guide was still
discovering and rewarding top class French restaurants with stars to help them better their competition. By the 1960’s it had positioned itself as a true promoter of
fine dining, and it was then that it was gradually introduced into even more European countries.
It continued to evolve and innovate, dropping the need to
contain any automotive related material, focusing primarily on fine dining. It needed
to adapt quickly to changes in media production, and with the introduction of
the internet in the late 90’s the Guide responded to changes in customer
lifestyles, helping to introduce reader feedback to confirm the validity of
selections.
Currently in its 112th year, The Guide has editions in 23
countries as well as some of the world’s largest cities, however even after all
the years of change and evolution of the Guide, and with a German woman now it’s
chief editor, it’s motto remains the same; to make travelling easier and help
readers discover a region’s unique features.
