The city is excited about the Michelin Guide coming to scope out Philadelphia restaurants. So are the chefs.

Each year, 7,000 to 8,000 people apply to become inspectors for the Michelin Guide, widely considered to be the world’s authority on restaurants.

On Tuesday, Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s Paris-based international director, heard from at least two potential candidates — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker — at a news conference at the Barnes Foundation announcing Michelin’s plan to evaluate restaurants in a new guide that will cover five U.S. cities, including Philadelphia. The “Northeast Cities” guide is due to be published online later this year.

Poullennec, 45, who oversees the teams of reviewers and is the longtime public face of Michelin, smiled at the tongue-in-cheek offers to go undercover. He gently pointed out that Michelin prides itself on preserving the anonymity of its inspectors, who use changing phone numbers and names.

(Poullennec himself is circumspect about Michelin’s methods and even his own tastes. Asked about his guilty food pleasure, he replied: “I have so many, frankly. Every time I’m eating out, I’m looking for a different place and there is always something to discover.” Pressed, he settled on “butter and cream sauces,” citing his upbringing in Brittany.)

Poullennec said inspectors from around the world have been sizing up the Philadelphia-area dining scene “for some time.” Tuesday’s official announcement, Poullennec said, was simply to say: “Michelin is in the house.”

The city, state, and Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) have long pursued a partnership with the guide in hopes of further elevating Philadelphia’s restaurant and hospitality industry. The city, as Shapiro pointed out, has collected 70 awards from the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose members vote to honor chefs and restaurants.

Michelin recognition potentially could boost more than the restaurants, said Gregg Caren, head of the PHLCVB, which is gearing up for the tourism blitz surrounding the semiquincentennial. “Food is driving travel more than ever before. People are now booking flights not just to see sights but to savor the flavors, and now Philadelphia will be a key stop in culinary travel planning. The Michelin Guide will be a powerful asset as we tell our story around the globe.”

PHLCVB, as a private agency, would not disclose its buy-in. Some tourism boards have paid Michelin more than $1 million for the evaluation, figuring that the exposure conferred by hosting Michelin-starred restaurants is a valuable tool for attracting high-dollar tourism and conventions. There are no guarantees that restaurants will pass Michelin’s muster.

Although local officials typically pay Michelin and collaborate on marketing and promotional activities, Michelin itself decides which restaurants are evaluated and ultimately included in the publication. The company also pays for its inspectors’ meals and expenses.

PHLCVB brought Poullennec over for a three-day familiarization tour, including visits to the Barnes and its renowned collection of Renoirs, Cézannes, and Matisses as well as a tour of Old City. He dined with media representatives Monday at Her Place Supper Club and plans to eat at Casa Mexico and Kalaya.

The Philadelphia restaurants that he visits will not necessarily play into inspectors’ plans, a PHLCVB representative said.

The audience at Tuesday’s announcement was stocked with a who’s who of local chefs and restaurateurs, including Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook (Zahav, et al.), Marc Vetri (Vetri), Jesse Ito (Royal Izakaya & Sushi), Chad Williams (Friday Saturday Sunday), Nicholas Elmi (Laurel, Lark), Townsend Wentz and Gordana Kostovski (Oloroso, et al.), Chris Kearse (Forsythia), Billy Riddle and Jennifer Carroll, and Lynn Buono, copresident of the local Les Dames d’Escoffier chapter. Chefs Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp (Her Place Supper Club, My Loup) wheeled their infant daughter in a stroller.

Among the chefs, there was an air of excitement and anticipation. “It’s a huge deal,” Shulman said. “We’ve known for a long time that Philly has a unique food culture and it’s great to see that it’s going to be recognized on a scale with such global reach.”

Colin Henderson, executive chef at Jean-Georges at the Four Seasons Hotel, was working in Toronto when Michelin came to that city in 2022. Although his restaurant was not included — “that was tough,” he acknowledged — “at the same time, it was still great for the city, and at the end of the day, you’re happy for all your chef friends out there.” Henderson later worked for chef Daniel Boulud, whose restaurants have many Michelin stars.

Michelin awards ratings that are 1 star (“worth a stop”), 2 stars (“worth a detour”), or 3 stars (“worth a journey”). Receiving three stars from Michelin is widely considered to be among the most prestigious restaurant accolades in the world; there are just 14 three-starred restaurants in the U.S.

Casual restaurants deemed “good quality, good value cooking” are labeled as Bib Gourmand selections, while some restaurants are reviewed and presented without star ratings. (That is not a bad thing. Michelin is only positive. If a restaurant fails to impress, inspectors move on.)

Poullennec declined to disclose how many inspectors Michelin uses, but said that every decision is made by a group — “one or two inspectors do not make or break a restaurant.” He said the inspectors come from 30 different countries and most have at least seven years’ experience in the restaurant or hospitality industry. The training program, which he said can take two or three years, pairs newcomers with senior inspectors “to master the Michelin methodology.”

The job can be grueling, he said. Most inspectors eat 300 to 350 meals a year of all kinds and, regardless of their hometown, must be available to travel the world — “able to just blend in the crowd” — and be conversant in a breadth of food cultures. “We work to ensure the consistency of the ratings all across the world and also that we are fair and we can really recognize the quality,” he said. “One star should have the same value in New York, Philadelphia, Paris, or Tokyo.”

Poullennec declined to discuss Michelin’s financials. “It costs a lot of money, but that’s the way we also ensure the consistency from one destination to another,” he said. “You need to be passionate about it. In their DNA, they love to explore.”

Although the Philadelphia guide has begun, the work is “a never-ending process” because inspectors are constantly reevaluating, Poullennec said over dinner Monday. Inspectors initially read up “to identify the hot spots and then to pay a visit,” he said, adding that restaurants in Philadelphia’s suburbs could be considered for the guide.

Poullennec said Tuesday that “open-mindedness” would guide inspectors’ decision to include BYOB restaurants, which are typically easier to run than full-scale restaurants with cocktails and wine lists. “It will be all about the quality of the food.

“We are covering about 50 different countries and destinations, and we are still expanding because there are more and more culinary destinations still to be uncovered on the world stage,” Poullennec said. As Michelin increases its footprint, he said, “the chefs are elevating their games. We are just willing to play a role to be a catalyst.”