Since the early 20th century, travel guides in both the US and Europe have offered motorists reviews of restaurants and hotels to aid them during their travels.
For over 100 years, Le Guide Michelin has awarded stars sparingly* to the finest restaurants in Europe, though their scope has broadened in the last few years to include restaurants in Tokyo and a few US cities. A Michelin star means thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars in increased business as well as international acclaim.
How does one earn a Michelin star? No one knows for sure. The inspections are done secretly and are rumored to be so in depth that points can be deducted for a single non-working light bulb in a restroom. The prestigious award is vitally important to the reputation of a business and/or its chef or restaurateur. At one time, it was rumored to be the cause of French chef Bernard Loiseau's 2003 suicide. The story goes that hearing that his establishment, Côte d'Or in Saulieu, would be downgraded in the upcoming edition of Le Guide, drove him to take his own life**.
Also of importance are Europe's Rosettes, awarded by the Automobile Association (or AA), a sister to the United States' very own AAA. Chefs and restaurant owners proudly display their Rosettes, earned by paying rigorous attention to detail as prescribed by the AA. Points are awarded based on the evaluation of things like consistency, quality of ingredients, timing, standards, service, and technical culinary skill. For example, Four Rosettes are awarded when a restaurant can “...highlight cooking that demands national recognition. Dishes demonstrate intense ambition, a passion for excellence, superb technical skills and remarkable consistency. An appreciation of culinary traditions is combined with a desire for exploration and improvement.” Five is the highest number of Rosettes that can be earned; in addition to even higher expectations of the food and service, a rating of Five Rosettes also takes into account the quality of a restaurant’s wine list.
Of course AAA has a similar rating system here in the U.S., but it is rare that you see a plaque touting AAA Diamonds hanging on the wall (or even in the offices) of a fine dining establishment. For whatever reason, it seems to me that our Diamonds just don’t have the same cache here as their sister Rosettes have in Europe.
The AAA reserves its single and double diamonds for simple places like taco stands and family-friendly eateries. Diamonds numbering in the quantity of three, four or five rate a restaurant based on the “level” of fine dining it offers. "Entry-level Fine Dining", or 3 Diamonds, looks for “…a professional chef and supporting staff of highly trained cooks. The menu is skillfully prepared and often reflects interpretations of the latest trends or a mastering of traditional cuisine.” 4 Diamond-awarded establishments “…reflect a high degree of creativity and complexity, using imaginative presentations to enhance high quality, market-fresh ingredients.” And, at the top of the heap, is the 5 Diamond restaurant, whose cuisine AAA considers to be “world class”, and complies with the following standard “Menus are cutting edge, using only the finest ingredients available. Food is prepared in a manner that is highly imaginative and unique. The combination of technique and ingredients is extraordinary, reflecting the impeccable artistry and awareness of highly-acclaimed chefs. A maître d’ leads an expert service staff that exceeds guest expectations by attending to every detail in an effortless and unobtrusive manner.”
Arguably, the most prestigious of American guides is Zagat. It began in New York City in 1979, but has since grown to include over 80 cities worldwide. Zagat, like the other guides, offers listings of hotels and attractions, but what it is most prized for is its restaurant ratings. Based on a comprehensive checklist, reviewers note thirty different points regrading things like ambiance, service and, of course, the food. Zagat has been lauded for its use of a "democratic" system when it comes to reviewing. For example, the opinions of 34,000 people were used to develop the New York City Guide for Zagat, a staggering difference from the more traditional guides. Michelin has a mere 80 inspectors worldwide, only ten of whom cover the entire U.S.
Sadly, after all of these years, the only city in New York State that has a Zagat guide is still New York. Most cities, like Buffalo, rely on their local publications for restaurant ratings and reviews. Buffalo’s only full-time restaurant critic is Janice Okun at The Buffalo News. She’s been reviewing Buffalo area restaurants for as long as I can remember. Like many other critics, she does not reveal her criteria for determining how many stars a restaurant receives, but last year she began noting the following at the bottom of all of her reviews, “Stars reflect the overall dining experience at the time of The News’ visit — including service, ambiance, innovation and cost — with greatest weight given to quality of the food.” 
Some critics rate a restaurant on a number of points and combine them to equal an overall score, for example points are given for food, service and decor and then combined for a final rating. I often wonder if this is the same way that Ms. Okun determines her ratings. I breath a sigh of relief that I am not required to assign rankings to restaurants. The responsibility is overwhelming when you think about how easily those pesky little stars can make or break a fledgling business.
More and more power has been given to the average Joe with the prevalence of the internet. Yahoo, Trip Advisor, Insider Pages and the constantly growing number of local websites offer folks with a penchant for food writing (or a personal vendetta) the opportunity to play fast and loose with a restaurant’s reputation.
Here on YUM, we’ve stated our position on restaurant reviews so many times, I won’t bore you with another recitation. Simply put, we leave the critiquing up to you. We’re here to tell you what we like, what we think is exciting, what we think someone does best. The rest is up to you. What I am interested in knowing is how you feel about ratings. Can a restaurant be properly summed up by the number of forks/stars/smiley faces it’s awarded? Do you consider such a rating when determining whether or not you will try some place new? Should a guide or critic be expected to reveal their criteria for determining a rating? Perhaps most importantly, what points do you think a critic should take into consideration?
*According to Wikipedia, out of 5,500 restaurants, the 2004 Michelin Guide for the UK and Ireland awarded 98 restaurants with one star, 11 with two stars and 3 with three stars.
**This was in fact, incorrect. It is now believed that Loiseau, who suffered from bi-polar disorder, actually killed himself over rival guide Gault Millau’s rating reduction.
Lead photo depicts Mix, Alain Ducasse’s Las Vegas restaurant. It recently earned a Michelin star making Ducasse the chef with the highest number of stars in the world (13).
The original version of this story stated that Hong Kong would be the next city on Michelin's list. Sadly, that is incorrect. thanks for catching that BuffedOut!