How do restaurants win Michelin stars? – insight from an inspector

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland awards stars to a handful of restaurants every year – some achieving their very first star, while others go up to two or even three stars. 26 restaurants from across the country received new stars in 2025 – plus five who achieved a green Michelin star.

 

The Caterer sat down with Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, and the red book’s anonymous chief inspector to discuss how restaurants are selected (and sometimes deleted). Here’s what we learned.

 

Who are the Michelin inspectors?

 

Inspectors are full-time employees with professional backgrounds who exclusively work for Michelin. They dine out almost 300 times a year on average, which means that it is “never difficult to eat fantastic cooking”, according to the chief inspector.

 

Although the total number of Michelin inspectors is kept closely under wraps, Poullennec revealed they represent more than 25 different nationalities between them.

 

He said UK-based inspectors are asked to be involved in all the guides worldwide to ensure they have “the openness to recognise the quality of all the different cooking styles”. So, if a Japanese restaurant in London was in the running for a star, a British inspector would be given the opportunity to travel to Japan to gain an understanding of Japanese cuisine, while Japanese inspectors would also be invited to the UK to ensure the consistency of the rating across the world.

 

What criteria does Michelin use?

 

The chief inspector said the team follow a rigorous methodology that is over 100 years old.

 

“The way we look at food is no different to the way chefs look at food,” he said. “The quality of the ingredients, harmony of the flavours, personality, consistency – these are all things that they look for and that doesn’t change. We make sure that around the globe we are making the same decisions and recognising the same level of cuisine.”

 

Poullennec said the best inspectors are open-minded and possess a deep knowledge of all the different cooking styles. Their restaurant reports are shared with other inspectors and the decision to award a star is a team decision.

 

All inspections are carried out anonymously and the same inspector never returns to the same restaurant. They never receive VIP treatment and always pay their own bill. “We are like any other regular guest,” said Poullennec. “We blend in the crowd.”