Michelin Guide Texas reaches the end of its $2.7m contract
The third Texas selection lands on 8 October, the same day the deal paid for by five city tourism offices and the state runs out. Nobody has announced a renewal.
The Michelin Guide Texas will publish its third selection on 8 October, the day the three-year, $2.7 million contract that brought the inspectors to the state comes to an end, and no renewal has been announced.
The deal was struck in 2024 by the tourism agencies of the five cities the guide covers: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Each paid $270,000 over the three years, and the state matched their combined contribution, the Austin American-Statesman reported on 24 September. Neither the state nor the cities gave details of the talks.
Michelin kept to a formula. "Once the Guide arrives in a destination, the intent is for it to remain there," its public relations manager, Carly Padgett, told the newspaper. Mark Thompson, a senior vice president at Visit Dallas, said he was "very optimistic" that Texas would keep the guide, and suggested a new agreement might not be announced before early 2027.
The stars arrive on 8 October; the decision on a 2027 edition belongs to tourism budgets.
What the Michelin Guide Texas has delivered
The first selection, in 2024, gave stars to 15 restaurants: seven in Austin, six in Houston and one each in Dallas and San Antonio. The second, presented at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston on 28 October 2025, added three one-star restaurants, Mamani in Dallas and Isidore and Nicosi in San Antonio, for a total of 18 starred addresses among 140 listed.
Austin has tried to put a figure on the effect. Data from the analytics firm Zartico, cited by the Statesman, show the share of restaurant sales in the city paid by visitors rising from 35% in 2024 to 45% in 2025 and 50% in 2026. Visit Austin said it "firmly believes the Michelin Guide has lifted our city's entire restaurant ecosystem".
A quiet last act on 8 October
The contract closes without a party. In August Michelin said the 2026 selection would be released by press release on the morning of Thursday 8 October, with no ceremony and no livestream, a change AMUSE covered when the date was set. Chefs will learn by email whether they have gained or lost a star.
For the kitchens involved, the renewal matters more than the format. John Bates, owner of Interstellar BBQ in Austin, told the Statesman that losing the guide "would be disappointing in general and would take opportunities away from local restaurants".
The stars will be public within ten days. Whether Texas gets a 2027 edition may not be known until the new year, and it will be decided by tourism budgets rather than inspectors.
