A Michelin restaurant is a restaurant that has been awarded one or more Michelin stars by the Michelin Guide, a series of guide books published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. The Michelin Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments based on five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the chefs personality as expressed through the cuisine, consistency over time, and the value for money. The acquisition or loss of a star or stars can have dramatic effects on the success of a restaurant. Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants, not to individual chefs, so chefs who run more than one establishment can hold more than three stars. The Michelin Guide employs thousands of inspectors who travel around the world to sample the finest cuisine on offer. The highly trained inspectors will visit hundreds of restaurants a year in order to identify the best of the best. Once each restaurant in consideration has been inspected, the Michelin guide director meets with the worldwide teams for what is called ‘star sessions’ where the rating of each restaurant is debated.