Michelin Tires is a company that is familiar to almost every car enthusiast. The company, their tires, and their Michelin Man mascot have been around for over a century. What many car enthusiasts may not realize, however, is that the same Michelin brothers who started the tire company inadvertently started something else far more delicious. In their quest to advise curious motorists on different places they could get food while driving to new areas, they created the Michelin star, which has become one of the highest achievements of fine dining restaurants to this day.
Michelin Tires: Andre and Edouard and their New Inflated Tire
Back in 1895 when Andre and Edouard were beginning their tire business, the auto industry was very different than it is today. With cars being a fairly new invention, many of the things that are standard issue on cars today were yet to be developed. Enter the Michelin Brothers. At this time, the standard car tire had a solid layer of rubber on the outside and was glued to the car’s wheel. This meant that when the tire’s treads wore smooth or if the rubber was otherwise compromised that the entire thing needed to be removed and reworked—a painstaking process.
Andre and Edouard, however, came up with a better idea. They were one of the first to produce an air filled tire similar to those we see on our cars today, that can be removed and replaced simply—unlike the solid tires that were currently the standard. Though their brilliant new tires were used on the racetrack, they didn’t immediately catch on for general usage, and there was a glaring reason why.
It’s Hard to Sell Rubber Tires to the People Who Rode The Train
Michelin’s main problem fell into the category of supply and demand. With only a few thousand cars on the road in turn of the century France, a big part of the job of selling tires was to convince people that they needed a car in the first place. And when people did have cars, they didn’t use them very often. When there is no big demand for tires due to the nation’s continuing reliance on horses and public transit, sales will inevitably remain low. They needed a way to make both owning and actually using a car more desirable than ever.
A Perfect Day for A Drive: Michelin’s Famous Guidebook is Born
While trying to figure out how to boost their sales, the Michelin brothers decided to produce a guidebook that would help people plan trips in their new cars. Both helpful for car owners and aspirational to those who may want to own a car or visit a new place, these guidebooks were first printed in 1900. Originally produced with advertising at no cost to the readers, they changed the face of the travel industry forever.
In addition to the reviews about restaurants that would eventually make the guides famous all over the world, the original guides contained information that would help the average traveler—with a focus on the needs of those traveling by car. To this end, the guides contained maps, recommendations on places to stay, and even information on how to change a (Michelin) tire. Due to the fact that gas stations as we know them today didn’t exist yet, another important part of the Michelin guide was informing motorists which pharmacies they could stop at to buy the fuel that ran their cars.
Taking Europe By Storm: Michelin Guides and Aspirational Travel
Different versions of the guides were produced for trips and destinations all over, with guides for the original France, as well as Belgium, Tunisia, Algeria, the Alps and Rhine area, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Britain and “The Countries of the Sun” (Northern Africa, Corsica and Southern Italy) all completed in a little over a decade.
For two decades these guides were given away for free, but after Andre Michelin walked into a tire shop and discovered that his free guides were being used to prop up the wobbly leg of a workbench, it was decided to update the books—and start charging for them.
Michelin’s Star Guide: What Does It Really Mean for Your Stomach
Part of the overhaul of the Michelin Guide was the overhaul of the section giving recommendations for restaurants. Instead of merely describing the restaurant or its faire, each one was given a series of stars related to how good the reviewer thought it was and how much effort a traveler should take to dine there.
One star meant that it was “worth the stop.” The food was well prepared and high quality. Two stars meant to the traveler that it was “worth a detour.” If you were in the area, it was worth your time to go out of your way to go to this restaurant because not only was the food great quality, it was prepared with a high level of skill. The coveted three stars, however, meant that this restaurant was “worth a special journey.” It doesn’t matter where you are, having three stars meant that it was worth your time to take a trip for the sole purpose of eating at this establishment. The food was delicious, the execution was exceptional and was enough to be the sole purpose of the drive.
Michelin: World Renowned for Success in Tires and Fine Dining
Over the years, Michelin guides have continued to change and adapt with the times, including the introduction of the “Bib Gourmand” section in 1955 that recommended more moderately priced restaurants with exceptional food and “The Plate” which started in 2016 to suggest places that “simply serve good food.” Despite these other changes the originally developed stars largely remain the same. Michelin stars are highly sought after by the finest restaurants. They are so exclusive that only 153 restaurants in the entire world currently have a 3 star rating.
Though it may seem odd that a fine dining guide and a tire company still exist hand in hand, this continued success stems from original work of the brothers themselves. Edouard was the engineer of the family. He was the one who came up with new innovative ideas for tires, and kept that side of the business rolling (pun intended). Andre, however, was the marketing man. He used every tool in his arsenal including traditional advertising, the creation of the iconic Michelin Man, calls towards French nationalism, and ultimately the creation of the guide itself to further the cause of the tire company.
The priority of the brothers in creating Michelin Tires and the Michelin Guide was to highlight a way of life that was better with an automobile. In the early 1900’s having a car was aspirational, as was traveling and eating at the finest restaurants. Though Michelin Tires may not only for the finest French automobiles anymore, the buyer can easily imagine the new foreign car that any plain set of tires could be installed on. And as the Michelin stars are still few and far between, the average person can still dream of visiting one of these exclusive restaurants with their yet to be determined car. Michelin sold an automotive lifestyle that the company still promotes nearly a century later.
