The agreement that brought the Michelin Guide to Texas has expired after three years and $2.7 million in tourism funding, leaving the future of the prestigious restaurant ratings in Dallas and four other major Texas cities unsettled.<\/p>\n
The contract between Michelin, Travel Texas and tourism organizations representing Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio covered the guide\u2019s first three years in the Lone Star State, from 2024 through 2026.<\/p>\n
Discussions about a new agreement are underway<\/a>, but no extension has been announced, per the Dallas Business Journal. Zane Harrington, director of communications for Visit Dallas, told the publication that conversations regarding a new contract remain ongoing and that additional information is expected during the first quarter of 2027<\/p>\n The uncertainty comes only days after Michelin released<\/a> its 2026 Texas selections.<\/p>\n Dallas, Fort Worth Build Michelin Presence<\/p>\n Texas now has 19 Michelin-starred restaurants among 149 establishments recognized in the 2026 guide.<\/p>\n Dallas retained two one-star restaurants \u2014 Tatsu Dallas<\/a> and Mamani<\/a> \u2014 while Fort Worth secured its first Michelin star when Goldee\u2019s Bar-B-Q<\/a> was promoted from Bib Gourmand status.<\/p>\n The Dallas Express previously reported<\/a> on Mamani becoming Dallas\u2019 second Michelin-starred restaurant in 2025, joining Tatsu, which received the city\u2019s first star when the Texas guide debuted in 2024.<\/p>\n Goldee\u2019s promotion this year gives Dallas-Fort Worth three Michelin-starred restaurants.<\/p>\n Michelin also added six new Bib Gourmand restaurants statewide and 16 new recommended restaurants to the 2026 guide.<\/p>\n Michelin\u2019s international director Gwendal Poullennec said<\/a> inspectors had watched Texas\u2019 culinary scene develop over the guide\u2019s first three years, citing the state\u2019s increasingly diverse and ambitious restaurant industry.<\/p>\n What Texas Paid To Get Michelin<\/p>\n Bringing Michelin to Texas was not free.<\/p>\n Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio each contributed $90,000 annually under the original agreement, according to the Dallas Business Journal.<\/p>\n That amounted to $450,000 per year from the five participating cities.<\/p>\n Travel Texas matched those contributions, bringing the annual cost to approximately $900,000 and the three-year total to $2.7 million.<\/p>\n The arrangement is part of a broader model Michelin uses in some destinations in which tourism organizations provide funding to establish or maintain local guide coverage.<\/p>\n The Dallas Express reported<\/a> when Michelin first arrived in Texas in 2024 that state and local tourism organizations had paid to bring the internationally recognized guide to the state.<\/p>\n Michelin\u2019s inspectors nevertheless operate independently, according to the company, making anonymous visits and paying for their meals while evaluating restaurants.<\/p>\n Will Michelin Stay In Texas?<\/p>\n The expiration does not necessarily mean Michelin is leaving.<\/p>\n