They’ll be handing out stars in South Carolina on Monday night.

The first-ever Michelin Guide covering a large swath of the Southeast will be unveiled at a ceremony in Greenville, S.C. — the city that happens to be the home of Michelin’s North American headquarters.

The French tire manufacturer began publishing guidebooks in 1900 as a marketing tool meant to encourage motorists when cars were still a novelty. Twenty years later, the guide began including a simple list of local restaurants and, in 1926, began marking fine dining restaurants with a star.

Today, the Michelin Guide rates more than 30,000 establishments across 30 territories, according to its website.

In a secretive and opaque process, anonymous inspectors visit restaurants within those territories and rate each establishment on five universal criteria: the quality of products; harmony of flavors; mastery of cooking techniques; voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency between multiple visits and throughout the menu.

The Michelin Guide has been aggressively expanding its coverage territory in the U.S. in recent years. Its first North American guide covered New York and debuted in 2005. Metro Atlanta became the Michelin Guide’s ninth North American coverage territory in 2023.

Earlier this year, Michelin announced big changes for the 2025 guide that will include Atlanta. The new guide will cover a region the company labeled the American South, which will include Atlanta and six states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The remainder of Georgia outside metro Atlanta will not be covered, and the Atlanta guide will essentially become a chapter in the American South guidebook.

The exclusion of Georgia outside of its capital city has caused much head-scratching and Michelin has not provided a direct explanation, but we do know the guide is partially funded by tourism organizations. The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered with Michelin for the initial Atlanta guide, while the American South guide has been developed in partnership with Travel South USA, a tourism consortium that serves 12 states in the Southeast and Appalachia.

Florida, which is not a member of Travel South USA, already has its own Michelin Guide.

The Michelin Guide thrives on mystery, and few other details have been released about Monday night’s ceremony, which will take place at the Peace Center Concert Hall in downtown Greenville. The event is invite-only and, outside of the media members and sponsors present, many of the attendees come from restaurants that will receive some sort of recognition.

The Michelin Guide awards accolades at multiple different levels. Stars are the top awards; restaurants can earn up to three stars, but even one is considered a high honor. Nine Atlanta restaurants earned one star each in 2024.