Michelin inspectors are employees of Michelin, the company behind the famous Michelin Guide. They are former hospitality professionals. They visit restaurants to decide if the restaurants deserve the coveted Michelin stars.
This guide takes a close look at how Michelin inspectors get selected, what kind of training they go through, and why their work carries immense weight.
How Are Michelin Inspectors Selected and Trained?
Selection:
Eligibility: Candidates must have at least five years of experience in restaurants or hotels. They must have a wide knowledge of ingredients, cooking methods, cuisines, and basic cooking skills from around the world.
Candidates are usually former chefs, front-of-house managers, or sommeliers. But some inspectors come from backgrounds like marketing or law.
Traits:
- Passionate about food
- Observant with an eye for detail
- Eager to learn
- Loves all varieties of food
- Willing to travel extensively and frequently
- Fair, unbiased, and ethical
- Adaptable
- Able to work long hours
- Strong interpersonal skills to discreetly verify details with restaurant staff while keeping their identity secret
Interview Process:
- Answer 150-200 food-related questions in 90 minutes.
- Get into an interview with the deputy editor and other staff.
- Go for a meal and write a report on what they observed.
- Have a lunch interview with the editor, where they are asked questions during the meal.
Training:
Candidates take rigorous training to evaluate restaurants according to the Guide’s methodology. The process comprises:
- Travelling extensively and visiting many restaurants.
- Shadowing senior Michelin inspectors on visits for a few months. They dine in all types of restaurants, like a fine dining restaurant or a casual noodle shop, to learn quality benchmarks. After every visit, inspectors answer detailed questions from the senior inspector who accompanies them.
- Writing detailed reports after each meal.
- Learning how to stay anonymous. This means booking tables under fake names, setting up separate emails, managing travel discreetly, and conversing without revealing their identity.
- Travelling abroad with experienced inspectors to gain fresh perspectives on food.
- Participating regularly in discussions with colleagues to ensure consistent ratings.
- Developing a thorough understanding of different cuisines during this period.
A Michelin Inspector’s Routine — An Overview
Preparation Before Meals:
Inspectors gather information and conduct multiple field visits before each restaurant inspection. This includes memorising every detail of the restaurant.
Variety in Meals:
Inspectors do not focus solely on high-end restaurants. In a single week, they might eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant, have lunch at a Bib Gourmand spot, and explore lesser-known local gems across all price ranges and cuisine types.
Upsides:
- Trying different cuisines, like sushi for lunch and Italian for dinner.
- Eating good quality and fresh food.
- No snacking.
- Travelling the world and learning about a region and its culture.
Downsides:
Photos on social media and Google Reviews can be misleading. Not every meal is good.
- The demanding schedule can cause weight gain. A Michelin inspector eats almost twice as much as a person eating at home.
Annual Workload:
Inspectors eat about 10 meals a week (two restaurants a day; Monday to Friday). This can add up to 300 times a year.
Travel Commitment:
They travel up to 30,000 kilometres annually and spend two to three weeks away from home every month. They rarely have weekends off.
Dining Habits:
Most inspectors dine alone during visits. They do not revisit the same non-starred or first-time inspected restaurant for at least five years to keep their assessments fresh.
Consistency Checks:
Inspectors visit two or three Michelin-starred restaurants many times each year to ensure consistent quality across the menu and over time. Specialist inspectors from other countries may visit a city to verify star ratings.
Work Beyond Dining:
- Inspectors are assigned territories that change annually. They research their markets, network with locals, and stay updated on food trends.
- They write detailed reports following each restaurant visit.
- They share updates about food on Michelin’s social media pages.
- They also write articles for the Michelin website.
Expertise Sharing:
Inspectors meet at regional Michelin offices to share what they have learned and keep track of restaurants for awards. Specialist inspectors may travel to countries to verify a restaurant’s star ratings or learn more about certain cuisines.
What Criteria Do Michelin Inspectors Use?
Michelin inspectors award stars to restaurants based on five criteria.
- Quality of Ingredients
Inspectors check if the chefs use the freshest and highest-quality ingredients in meals so that their natural flavours come through. They do not expect or insist that restaurants use premium ingredients for high ratings.
- Mastery of Flavour
The inspectors look for skill in how chefs prepare dishes. They look for:
- Unexpected blending of flavours that works brilliantly well
- Fusion of local and international styles
- Integration of culture into the food
- Chef’s Personality in the Cuisine
The meals must reflect the chef’s skills, creativity, and influences. This personal touch can come from the chef’s hometown, techniques passed down in their family, their training experience, and flair.
- Value for Money
The inspectors look for the overall dining experience — food quality and atmosphere. They look for value in how the staff treats guests, helps them with food-wine pairings, and creates a warm and amiable atmosphere.
- Consistency in Dining Experience
Michelin inspectors are particular that the:
- Food tastes as great as their previous visit.
- The service continues to be attentive
- The atmosphere is inviting.
How Many Michelin Inspectors Are There?
The Michelin Guide keeps the exact number of inspectors confidential. They do not publicly announce new appointments or departures. There are no public ceremonies or events to recognise inspectors for their work, maintaining strict anonymity and impartiality.
How Do Michelin Inspectors Stay Secret?
Michelin inspectors follow rules to stay secret. This means:
- Inspectors reveal their professional identity only to family and close friends.
- They do not give interviews or make official appearances.
- They book tables using fake names. They sometimes use combinations of friends’ names. They also set up email accounts and phone numbers to avoid digital tracking.
- They mingle with diners during visits to avoid drawing attention or suspicion.
- They always pay for their meals.
How Much Do Michelin Inspectors Make?
The average yearly pay for a Michelin inspector in the US is $54,939 as of June 2025. That is about $4,578 per month. Salaries range from $24,500 to $99,000 depending on skill, location, and experience.
The pay varies globally. Exact figures for other regions aren’t publicly available.
Inspectors usually work about five years. Their seniority depends on how long they have been in the role.
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