No rest for restaurant guides in 2008
— -- The economy may be cooling down, but that hasn't prevented the competition among restaurant review guides from heating up. USA TODAY's Jerry Shriver talked to the heads of the three guides to find out what's on their plates for 2008.
Michelin
The France-based company, which has been the dominant voice in hotel and restaurant ratings in Europe for more than a century, continues to widen its scope with the release this month of Michelin Guide Tokyo 2008, its first Asian venture (a $12.95 English-language edition arrives in January). Michelin surprised the food world by awarding Tokyo's eateries 191 stars, the most of any city anywhere. Eight restaurants received the top three-star rating. (By comparison, Paris has 98 total stars and 10 three-star restaurants.)
Earlier this fall, the company published new editions of its New York and San Francisco guides and introduced its first guides for Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Michelin director Jean-Luc Naret says additional cities in the USA and Asia will be added within the next two years but won't say where. "It's definitely a big step for us."
In the two new domestic guides, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is the only restaurant to win three-star recognition from the team of anonymous inspectors. "All these (Las Vegas) restaurants have incredible potential — it's all about consistency, so next year should be better for some," Naret says.
Also in 2008, Michelin plans to develop a stronger michelinguide.com site for the USA, he says. In Europe, its michelin.com is the most-visited travel site, he says, and provides visitors with tools such as maps, driving directions and GPS navigation. "We just need to adapt that for the U.S.," he says.
Zagat Survey
Having conquered the domestic market with its dark-red restaurant guides during the past two decades, Zagat continues to widen its coverage here and abroad, using its trademark populist survey approach. This summer, the company launched Zagat.mobi, a website that makes dining and travel content viewable on smart phones and other mobile devices. A redesigned Zagat.com site with improved mapping technology is scheduled to make its debut in December.
