Is it possible to find out how the evaluators of the “Michelin” guide chose restaurants in Lithuania – experts talk about great secrecy

First of all, Dovilė Seliukė aims to dispel the misconception that Lithuania itself managed to catch the eye of the Michelin guide.

“Michelin itself chooses when to come to which country.” Seeing the potential, they approach and invite to start cooperation. Then other stages follow,” says D. Seliukė. She notes that Michelin comes at a cost, and these are fixed costs in each country.

Of course, the fact that Lithuania is noticed is an undoubted assessment.

“Because the Michelin guide is in more than 40 countries, where more than 15,000 restaurants have been rated. And the fact that they noticed us and that they come to us is an international prestigious assessment”, says the representative of “Keliauk Lithuania”.

When the ratings are published, both this organization and Michelin spread the word about it widely.

Michelin includes the latest information in the guide it promotes. It’s no secret that there are tourists who travel around the world guided by this guide. Today, our research shows that there are no gastronomic tourists in Lithuania who travel for food. We have those who come and 90 percent. they visit restaurants. Even 87 percent rate their visits to restaurants as good or very good. Therefore, we very much hope that this prestigious award will open our doors to the hearts of traveling food gourmands”, hopes Seliukė.

“And I would like to dispel the myth that in order to get a rating, it is necessary to have a very good service, a great interior or something like that. This is far from it – Michelin evaluates food: ingredients, quality of execution, and maintaining quality over time,” says Simonas Gudelis, director of the food and beverage department of the Pacai hotel.

However, one can only guess how the evaluation itself takes place and how it is chosen which cities or restaurants to travel to.

“This is already an internal regulation of the Michelin organization, but I think they choose in the same way as we do it: you look at what places are, how prominent the chefs are in that market, what are the reviews – all the information is available through public means – they choose what is interesting , and travels there”, Gudel thinks.

Simon, who has visited several Michelin-starred restaurants, was asked to compare them with the food of Lithuanian restaurants and the skills of the chefs, says: “Culinary or gastronomy is interesting because you can’t compare a Lithuanian chef with a Spanish one, because we have a very different field of work , a different guest in a restaurant, a different palette of ingredients, etc. And we create from what we have around. As a result, I doubt that a chef at a three-Michelin star restaurant would cook the best zeppelin in the world – perhaps a local grandmother would do it better.

But the fact that Michelin is coming shows that we are worth it. As far as I know the chefs personally, I can say that their level is really high. I have eaten in Lithuania 10 times tastier than in some Michelin restaurants in the world”, says the representative of the hotel restaurant.

When asked how often stars are given to hotel restaurants, S. Gudelis notes that there are restaurants that have Michelin stars, not just one – 2 or 3.

“However, the hotel restaurant has a wider field of activity – we host events, organize breakfasts, lunches, etc. So having a Michelin star and maintaining quality is perhaps a bit more complicated than, say, having a restaurant that opens 3 evenings a week. However, on the other hand, we have a flow of visitors, the ability to maintain a large team, to attract talents who create a work culture, which is where the journey towards Michelin begins, the interviewer assesses.

And Michelin stars are a goal that you want to aim for and can achieve. According to Gudel, with the appearance of “Michelin”-rated restaurants, the motivation to be in this sphere, to strive, to learn increases greatly.

“Because near home we will have a place to look, ask questions, get a job and learn. This is the most important thing,” says Gudel.

When asked how the stars change the establishment itself, a representative of the hotel’s restaurant says:

“It would be best if nothing changes, because as soon as you get a Michelin star, you can lose it. Therefore, that quality, the idea, the chef’s talent, the set goals and tasks are the most important. If you’ve already got it, do what you’re doing, because you’re doing it well.”

Seliuke notices that the evaluation provides additional motivation to improve.

“We have an example in Estonia – if a restaurant received one star one year, nothing prevents it from contributing a second one the next year. Despite maintaining that bar, it is likely that the motivation to improve even more should grow,” he says.

Seliuke would not emphasize the fact that Lithuania was the last among the Baltic countries to have one or more Michelin-starred restaurants.

“It is difficult to answer why this is so, because we do not know according to what they choose and in what way. We don’t have any information about it and certainly no one will explain why they came to us last. However, I would not really appreciate the fact that we are worse, or that it could have been caused by some objective circumstances.

My personal hypothesis is that it’s just a random order on the way down, when it’s just geographical nuances,” he ponders.

The information about which restaurants in Lithuania have been visited by Michelin guide appraisers and how they rated them is confidential. We will find out all this at the June 13th event.

“Representatives of which restaurants are invited to the event are also confidential,” says D. Seliukė.