by Kristen Wile

The Michelin Guide will come to North Carolina next year as part of North America’s first regional honors: the Michelin Guide American South. The guide was announced at the Travel South summit in Louisville, with the following states participating: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Atlanta Guide will become part of this new regional one.

“We are excited to embark on this new journey for the Michelin Guide as this will be the first time since
the Guide’s North American debut in 2005 that we are launching a regional selection,” says Gwendal
Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides. “The cuisine of the American South is a
unique product of diverse influences creating an iconic array of specialties prepared by proud and
impressive culinary talent.”

The news comes following an increasing culinary tourism investment from the state’s local tourism boards, including the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), as well as the state tourism board, which have seen culinary tourism as a significant potential growth area.

“Michelin focuses on destinations that meet its rigorous criteria and has yet to establish a presence in many cities and regions where the culinary scenes have gained substantial traction in recent years,” says CRVA Senior Director of Brand Marketing & Strategy, Laura White. “While recognition is not guaranteed, we firmly believe Charlotte’s dynamic culinary identity and growing influence in the Southeast food scene make it a strong candidate for consideration by the Michelin Guide American South. We are proud to partner with Visit NC and Travel South USA on this debut initiative.”

According to the CRVA, nearly a quarter of the $8 billion spent annually by visitors is on food and beverage.

Michelin has already been sending representatives to explore restaurants in the South. The first restaurant recognition will take place later this year. While there is no guarantee for Michelin stars, Charlotte is home to several concepts that fit the guide’s usual characteristics, including Counter-, L’Ostrica, Kappo En, and Omakase by Prime Fish.

“Eric and I are excited about the opportunity that this presents to us as restaurant owners but also to Charlotte and North Carolina as a whole,” says Cat Carter, co-owner of L’Ostrica with partner Eric Ferguson. “We chose to build L’Ostrica here because we believed in its vast but perhaps unrecognized potential. That the Michelin Guide is demonstrating a shared belief in what our city and region can offer diners makes us enthusiastic. It is known the world over as a standard of excellence, and it would be an incredible honor for L’Ostrica or any other independent restaurant in our region to be included.”

Atlanta acquired a Michelin Guide in 2024, and currently has nine one-star restaurants as well as a dozen “Bib Gourmand” restaurants, which highlight restaurants at a lower price point than the usual fine dining and tasting menu-heavy Michelin star recipients. There are also green stars, which recognize restaurants focused on sustainability, and “recommended restaurants,” which are noted as not quite at star level.

As rumors of Michelin’s expansion here spread in the city, restaurant owners have begun implementing changes to make their offerings more appealing to Michelin inspectors, from details of service to secret menus.

The guide was first published in 1900 by the founders of the Michelin tire company as a way to get more travelers on the road. Stars are awarded on the following five considerations: quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, personality of the cuisine, and consistency both over time and through the menu as a whole.