Chef Michel Roux Jr has shared the key elements restaurateurs should focus on if they’re hoping to secure a Michelin star for their eatery.
The Michelin rating model is unique in that it is based solely on the judgements of anonymous, specially trained reviewers, who visit countless restaurants around the globe to narrow down the very best.
Michelin has revealed that its review system is based upon five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits.
Roux Jr, 65, who announced the closure of his two Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche after 56 years in August 2023, claimed the quality of the food and consistency in that excellence are the most important of the five criteria when it comes to being awarded the highly coveted award.
Speaking to Jessie and Lennie Ware on their Table Manners podcast, Roux Jr said: “We’ve spoken to Michelin inspectors and they will always say ‘it’s all about the food – first and foremost.’ Then, consistency. It has to be consistent… Simplicity. Perfect ingredients and consistency.”
He continued: “That’s the number one thing that they’ll look for. It doesn’t doesn’t matter if you’re got silver cutlery or you present a wine list, or a sommelier – that’s added value.”
Since the Michelin tyre company’s star rating system was fully established in 1933, the criteria for one, two or three stars has remained unchanged. Roux Jr posited that, although the criteria is the same for one, two or three stars, the service element becomes more significant as they ascend.
“The little extras come into it,” he said. “For three, it has to be the full monty. You have to have everything. It has to be a blowout experience, which obviously is seen in the price.”
However, according to Michelin, anonymous reviewers are not looking at “interior decor, table setting, or service quality” when they visit unannounced.
Roux Jr gained notoriety after he took over Le Gavroche in Mayfair from his father, Albert Roux, in 1993. The celebrated establishment closed in January.
It was announced in February that, in something of a full circle move, Gordon Ramsay – who trained at Le Gavroche in the Eighties – will take over the iconic site with his team, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.
The company has secured a 15-year lease on the grounds of the former French restaurant, with Restaurant Gordon Ramsay chef patron Matt Abé in charge of the kitchen.
Ramsay’s restaurant group, which was founded in 1997, has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds eight at sites: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (three stars), Le Pressoir d’Argent (two stars), Au Trianon (one star), Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay (one star) and 1890 by Gordon Ramsay (one star).
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