With the Michelin Guide making its way to Canada over the past few years, hungry Ottawans have been asking when the big, puffy tire man will come to Canada’s capital. However, few know what it actually takes (and costs) to bring the Michelin Guide to a city or region and, even then, if any of the restaurants will try to attain and retain hospitality’s most coveted recognition.
This begs a few questions: What is the cost of bringing the restaurant and hotel guide that has been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900 to Ottawa? How would it benefit the city and its hospitality professionals? Is it worth it? Would any of our restaurants even earn a star?
First, let’s discuss logistics. In order to get on the radar of the Michelin Guide, a city’s tourism organization needs to approach Michelin and ask for evaluation. The guide first determines if a city has enough restaurants for the partnership to make sense. If it does, a multi-year contract is signed between the city and the guide. Most agreements start at three years and can cost anywhere from a few hundred thousand dollars to multiple millions of dollars.
Toronto and Vancouver both signed deals worth roughly $2-3 million and it is anticipated that it would cost Ottawa anywhere from $1-4 million to strike a three-year deal with Michelin. The final cost is determined by the number of restaurants, visit frequency, geographic scope and the chosen marketing package.
If Ottawa and its tourism board decided the price tag is worth it, Michelin would spend the next one to three years sending anonymous inspectors to restaurants across the city to determine if any are worthy of stars.
That leads us to our next question: Are there Ottawa restaurants worthy of Michelin stars?
My personal opinion is a resounding yes. We may not have the quantity of Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, but we certainly have the quality.
Restaurants like Perch, Antheia and others have been moving the needle on what hospitality can look like globally, let alone in Ottawa. We’ve also consistently landed a multitude of restaurants on Canada’s top 100 list, where they sit among current Michelin winners from around the country.
The guide judges hopeful restaurants on a specific list of criteria:
- Quality of ingredients
- Mastery of technique
- Harmony of flavours
- Personality of the chef in the cuisine
- Consistency
It’s not about which restaurant is the fanciest or most expensive, it’s about who is most deserving, who is innovating and who is able to let their personality shine through in a big way.
Let’s use Perch as an example.
Quality of ingredients: Perch is about as sustainable as the government legally allows it to be. It focuses on hyper-locality, sourcing pretty well every item on the menu from Canada. It even sources things like olive oil and balsamic vinegar from the only Canadian producers who make those products. The team at Perch spares no expense when it comes to quality, right down to the hand soap made from used cooking oil and spent espresso grounds.
Mastery of technique: Perch is not a molecular gastronomic wonderland, but it is in the top 0.01 per cent of restaurants in terms of respecting and knowing how to use an ingredient. From ferments to transformation of the “ugly” parts of a vegetable, Perch has found a way with the parts of food that others throw away.
Harmony of flavours: Go eat there. Honestly. I can’t taste food for you, but I am confident you’ll see what I mean after one tasting menu.
Personality of the chef: Justin Champagne-Lagarde has a unique way of transporting diners to different parts of Canada through his food, while using global techniques. Scallop mousse macarons and Japanese-style chawanmushi dishes that don’t have a single global ingredient allow those who know the chef’s food to pick it out of a lineup.
Consistency: This is why Michelin inspectors visit a place more than once. It’s not good enough to perform today. You need to be at the top of your game every day. This is another category that you’ll need to experience for yourself. But Perch is one of the most expertly run kitchens in the city.
The multimillion-dollar price tag can (and has) scared Ottawa off for a number of years, but is the city making the right decision by placing its dollars elsewhere?
All three Michelin-involved Canadian cities or regions (Toronto, Vancouver, province of Quebec) have reported an uptick in hospitality tourism and restaurant success since the introduction of the guide. The international media coverage alone is enough to attract not only hungry tourists, but legendary chefs ready for their next project.
I am of the opinion that one star changes the entire landscape of a city’s hospitality culture. When people visit you for your awarded restaurant, they don’t eat and leave. They explore. They try local favourites, they stay in local hotels, they experience much of what the city has to offer and that alone can completely rejuvenate a city and its tourism experience.
Michelin reports that 74 per cent of travellers consider Michelin’s presence when choosing a destination, and 76 per cent would extend a trip to dine at a Michelin-recommended restaurant.
Those numbers speak for themselves. The approximately $3 million seems a small price to pay for a lifetime of tourism influx and local restaurant support.
More than ever, Ottawa needs people to forget its “sleepy government town” moniker. This is a city of liveliness, fun and delicious food. While there is still room for improvement, the snowball effect that would result from bringing the Michelin Guide to Canada’s capital would be unparalleled in its effects on how people view and visit Ottawa.
Jordan Pizzuti has been a local Ottawa food writer, content creator and hospitality professional for over 10 years. Through his “best of” series, Jordan has cemented himself as an expert in Ottawa hospitality and nightlife. He continues to promote the Ottawa hospitality scene through his “Are We Having Fun Yet?” brand and his work with OBJ.
