What Does the Michelin Guide Mean for Colorado's Food Scene?

Being awarded a Michelin star is one of the greatest honors a restaurant can receive. Having the shiny red Michelin plaque with one, two or even three stars hanging as diners make their way to their tables places a restaurant in an incredibly selective tier of establishments. But the guide only reviews restaurants in certain geographic areas, which, until recently, did not include Colorado.

That changed on June 14, when Michelin and the Colorado Tourism Office announced that the inaugural Michelin Guide Colorado would be released later this year. It will cover Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort — though, notably, restaurants outside of Denver County, like the state's only recent James Beard Award winner, Annette at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, will not be considered.

The Michelin Guide's arrival in Colorado gives the state's vibrant food scene and talented culinary figures a spotlight in an immensely influential publication. However, the news does not come without some worries. From causing significant price hikes to quickly overwhelming restaurants with demand, such recognition can negatively affect restaurants and local diners alike.

The guide can be “controversial for communities," admits chef and restaurateur Kelly Whitaker, who is a multiple-time James Beard Award nominee and owner of Id Est Hospitality, a group that includes the Wolf’s Tailor and Bruto, which are both likely contenders among places that could receive a star.

Overall, though, he is excited for Michelin to come to Colorado. Whitaker’s restaurants push the boundaries of traditional culinary techniques and emphasize sustainability and partnerships with local farmers. While Whitaker and his team at Id Est “are not chasing the awards," he says, he does believe that the Michelin Guide can act as a greater platform to highlight the positive work he and his team are doing.
The Michelin Guide’s arrival also plays a major economic role. Historically, restaurants that are awarded stars have seen a significant increase in clientele and revenue. Whitaker explains that any type of positive press, in both local and more widespread publications, has “power over people’s small businesses" — especially in the restaurant industry. Considering Michelin’s international influence, it's likely that newly starred restaurants will quickly switch from "reservation recommended" to "advance reservation required."

The coveted guide not only works as a magnet for potential diners, but also for excellent culinary talent. Whitaker suggests that cooks looking to work in America’s best restaurants will no longer only turn to New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, but also Denver and Boulder.

He knows, though, that getting high-profile recognition has both upsides and downsides. When the Wolf’s Tailor was included in Bon Appétit’s The Hot 10: America's Best New Restaurants in 2019, business went "from zero to 1,000 fast," Whitaker says, and the team "wasn't ready for it totally."

Restaurants recognized by the Michelin Guide should expect a similar sudden and significant uptick in popularity. Although the Wolf’s Tailor managed to swiftly deal with the influx of diners, other restaurants simply may not have the financial or physical capacity to effectively manage, while also maintaining the impeccably high quality that earned the star in the first place.

Receiving a star takes an enormous amount of effort, but maintaining one, arguably, takes even more. As reported by the Irish Independent, after Thornton’s Restaurant in Dublin lost its star in 2015, profits dropped more than 76 percent, forcing the restaurant to close just a year later. Whitaker mentions that he has heard multiple other accounts about prestigious recognition leading to restaurant closures.

Although receiving a star would be an important accomplishment for Whitaker and his team at Id Est, he also reiterates that nothing the group has done has been for a star. "All of this work — changing uniforms, investing, [working] with farms, changing the menus," he says, has always been done out of a sheer desire to strive for another level of excellence and to provide more value to Colorado as a whole.