- April 15, 2025
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The Michelin Guide first came to Florida in 2022, assessing the dining scenes in Miami, Orlando and Tampa and selecting its recommended restaurants.
In February 2025, it was announced that three more Florida destinations would be added to the guide: Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater. That means a new spotlight on the Gulf Coast culinary scene.
“It’s huge for us in a number of ways,” says Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “It’s going to showcase that our destination is a premier culinary destination. Historically we may not have been perceived as such; certainly our beaches probably overshadowed the burgeoning restaurant scene we have here.”
St. Pete-Clearwater remains a great place to go for a grouper sandwich and other casually prepared fresh seafood dishes served by the beach. “But we’re so much more than that,” says Lowack. “The diversity of our restaurant scene here is huge. Being a partner with the Michelin Guide really puts our restaurants and whole restaurant scene forefront for travelers searching for new dining experiences.”
And there are plenty of travelers who are. According to a recent Future Partners report, 57% of American travelers find trips to explore destinations known for food and drink experiences appealing. The 2025 Hilton Trends Report points out nearly one in five people will travel specifically to seek out new restaurants or culinary experiences, and 50% of global travelers book restaurant reservations before their flights.
Last year, about 10% of visitors traveled to St. Pete-Clearwater solely for the food scene, says Lowack. The region expects that number to grow with its inclusion in the Michelin Guide.
“We believe that’s going to increase, having the visibility and attention that’s associated with the Michelin Guide, specifically geared toward travelers who are picking up that publication with the intent purpose to travel for food,” says Lowack. “It will hopefully turn some heads of travelers looking for a new destination with new culinary experiences.”
Tampa has seen a new swath of visitors since its inclusion in the Michelin Guide. “Now we can attract the kind of clientele looking for that kind of experience,” says Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “They fly on high-end luxury airlines, stay in high-end lodging establishments and go out and eat at one-star Michelin restaurants. It gives us an opportunity to appeal to a different clientele, and I think it’s worked well for us…People love to travel for food.”
The benefits of Michelin are also industry-specific. When Bryce Bonsack opened Rocca in Tampa Heights, for one, his main focus was bringing a classic Italian dining experience to the area. “We never opened up Rocca to be a Michelin-star restaurant,” says the chef/owner. “We never dreamed Michelin would come to Tampa.
The restaurant was already busy and doing well when it was awarded one star in 2023 and again in 2024. “It’s been absolutely amazing that [the Michelin Guide] came to Tampa and Florida in general,” says Bonsack. “The restaurant scene has only improved because of it. It puts us not only on the national map but on the international map, and I think that’s a fantastic thing to move things along in the culinary scene in Tampa.”
The recognition has helped bring new culinary talent to the area, a big benefit for an industry where staffing can be a challenge. “We’ve had some really talented cooks move to Tampa to work specifically for Rocca since we’ve gotten a star,” says Bonsack. “It’s been a blessing; it’s not always easy to find talented people to work for you.”
“People don’t always put together the impact of something like this when it comes to the talent that it draws in,” agrees Drew Dimitrovski, executive chef at Juno & The Peacock in downtown St. Pete, who sees the potential for that to happen in St. Pete-Clearwater now that it’s part of the guide. “People who have a passion for following the culinary arts or even beverage programs will start to look at the area as a more viable option for them. It’s a feedback loop cascade effect for sure.”
For Lilac at The Tampa Edition hotel, a Michelin star was a goal for the restaurant, which opened in October 2022. “In the interview process for team members for the front of house and back of house, we brought up this (as) a goal of where we would like to be,” says Josh Werksman, chef de cuisine for Lilac. “We were already setting that standard from the time that the individual had their interview.”
Since receiving a Michelin star in 2023, Lilac has focused on maintaining and building on its high standards, with daily line checks and discussions with front and back of house teams about the previous day’s successes and opportunities for improvement, plus weekly training for staff. “The team has been here since opening; we have our standards locked in,” says Marina Reyes, Lilac’s general manager. “Now we can focus on elevating; we’re all fans of if we don’t innovate, we die.”
Bonsack already had a good system in place at Rocca for handling a busy dining room before receiving a Michelin star. But for some restaurants it can be a dramatic change to go from business as usual to a steady influx of diners anxious to try a Michelin-recommended spot. “It can be a big shift in business,” says Bonsack. “But in the restaurant world sales is kind of a cure all.”
For Bonsack, the stress of keeping a Michelin star once you’ve received one is the biggest challenge that comes with the honor, since the guide’s anonymous inspectors evaluate things each year. “Any dish that goes out could be going to an inspector,” says Bonsack. “I’ve probably got a few more gray hairs…There won’t be a time when I won’t be stressing out about it. In some ways, it’s probably better to never get a star than get one and lose one.”
Now that’s something St. Pete-Clearwater restaurants will need to think about. “It’s always a challenge trying to create perfection,” says David Benstock, chef/owner of IL Ritorno in downtown St. Pete. “In the restaurant industry, so many variables get thrown at you. Our challenge is consistency, just like any other restaurant that every night is just trying to be consistent and perfect.”
Dimitrovski thinks the “always improving” mentality at Juno & The Peacock will be an asset when it comes to this new spotlight on St. Pete-Clearwater’s restaurants. “We already have the mindset,” he says. “It’s just a constant everyday grind of how can we be better in every facet? All of that comes from the desire and knowledge and willingness to continuously improve and be the hardest critics of ourselves and what needs improvement.”
Both Visit Florida and the Miami, Orlando and Tampa tourism boards made financial investments to bring the Michelin Guide to Florida. (The cost is to be part of the process, not paying to be included.) It was reported when the agreement was first struck that Visit Florida agreed to an annual contribution of $150,000, Visit Orlando committed to $348,000 over three years and the Miami and Tampa tourism organizations confirmed contributions in line with the other partners, according to stories in the Robb Report and Miami Herald.
Visit Tampa Bay’s Corrada declines to disclose specifics about the cost but says it’s well worth it. “We invest in conventions, we invest in airlines, we invest in cruise ships,” he says. “This is investing in marketing and PR. I can tell you for the benefit we get out of it, the investment is minor."
His words of wisdom for St. Pete-Clearwater and the other new destinations? “Be patient with the process the first year out,” says Corrada. “Then use it to your advantage. We have thoroughly used it to our advantage; it’s part of just about every marketing piece we do. Whether we’re talking to other countries or to conventioneers and meeting planners, we absolutely always mention that we’re a Michelin Guide city. I think it adds a level of credibility and respect to a destination.”
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s Lowack also declined to share specifics about the costs to the destination, but he likewise sees it as a smart strategy. “As a marketing organization, being aligned with such a prolific culinary brand is a great investment to not only showcase our culinary excellence but also appeal to the growing demographic of foodie travelers,” he says.
It will also complement Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s new “Ampersand” marketing campaign, which highlights the area’s many other assets beyond its much-lauded beaches. “We can put our culinary scene on a pedestal in that campaign,” says Lowack.
Chefs and restaurateurs are excited, too.
Benstock, for example, was born and raised in St. Pete — and is amazed by the growth in the area’s culinary scene in the 11 years since IL Ritorno opened. “Having Michelin come to St. Pete is huge,” he says. “It makes us a destination for foodies all around the world.”
