Bibendum or the Michelin Man is pictured during a ceremony revealing the 2022 selection of the Michelin Guide Dubai, the first-ever edition in the United Arab Emirates, on June 21, 2022. Wednesday, the Michelin Guide revealed it would be notifying Texas chefs and restaurateurs if they won via press release or some other digital means.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images
This year’s Texas Michelin Guide dares to ask the unthinkable: Is the multinational French company that has built its reputation on service phoning it in?
Michelin announced Wednesday it will not host a Texas reveal party in Houston this year. Worse, restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality professionals will only find out whether they won a star, gained a star, or lost designation an via email.
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Yes, you heard right: The winners will be notified Oct. 8 via email what they got, be it a Michelin star, a Bib Gourmand or a designation. I’m sure it will be a big moment for everyone huddled over their computers and phones, clicking refresh on their inboxes and searching for their names. Hit “Ctrl + F” for the big reveal.
The Michelin Guide told Chron via a statement that it has “evolved” its approach for unveiling selections across their 60 destinations.
“In some cases, instead of a Michelin Guide Ceremony, selections will be released digitally via press release and the Michelin Guide’s digital channels,” the statement read.
Boo. Michelin appears to still be holding in-person events for other locations, including Toronto and Nashville, Tenn., the hub for the American South guide. The latter is interesting because the cities in the American South have a similar, and more lucrative, three-year contract with the guidebook creators.
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Previously, reports confirmed a $2.7 million deal struck in 2024 by multiple local tourism agencies to have Michelin in Texas for three years. That deal ends after this year. Houston First Corporation, the city’s destination marketing organization, has to yet responded to Chron’s request for more information and comment.
The modest reality
A slice of brisket at Burnt Bean Co., a barbecue restaurant in Seguin, Texas. Pitmaster Ernest Servantes, who earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for his establishment in 2025, said he was disappointed to learn there wouldn’t be an official party in 2026.
John-Henry Perera/Chron
Maybe we’re being too harsh about all this. A few industry professionals and bloggers around town had more measured responses about Michelin’s decision, including Shawn Singh, better known as @shaunthefoodsheep on social media.
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“I think there’s a good chance we see a pretty significant expansion,” Singh told Chron. “It’s also the final year of the initial three-year Michelin deal, and I’d be surprised if they don’t renew … Our suburbs and Greater Houston-area towns have many Michelin-worthy spots.”
Graham Painter, who owns Street to Kitchen and Jantra alongside his wife, executive chef and James Beard Foundation award winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, said if the choice is between not having Michelin rate Houston or not having a gala, they’d much rather stay in Texas for the long run. (Street to Kitchen earned a Bib Gourmand in 2024.)
The “Michelin bump,” or the benefits of Michelin having a presence in a city longterm, is something the Painters have seen first-hand: once in Bangkok where they lived for years, and again in Mexico City.
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“The positive influence on restaurants has been palpable,” Graham said. “Service, consistency of food, pride of staff are evident even in restaurants not in the guide, but by people who dream to be.”
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But it’s still kind of a bummer that we can’t all come together and celebrate in person. Ernest Servantes of the critically acclaimed Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin said he was disappointed when he found out about it.
“Finding out through an email just doesn’t carry that same energy or sense of occasion,” Servantes said. “I’m grateful that Michelin continues to recognize Texas and the people working hard in this industry, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that we won’t have that moment together this year.”