Chew, who prefers to be known by her initials, started patronising the hawker stall back when the current owners’ parents were still operating the outlet. Long queues were not unusual, she said, but they used to require only about 10 to 15 minutes of waiting in the mornings – before the eatery won a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2016.

“The wait times have definitely gotten longer with the award,” she said. “Now, they will tell you when you order that the queue is at least 30 minutes long and you will just be sitting there doing nothing.”

While Michelin ratings can benefit hawker businesses, many locals – like Chew – are feeling the negative effects, including longer queues and falling standards.

Instead of the typical street food set-up found in many other Asian countries, Singapore has hawker centres.

Beginning in the late 1970s, the government started regulating and relocating street hawkers in an effort to have them run in more organised and regulated spaces. With proper kitchen amenities, hawkers could then have a safe and hygienic environment to serve their fare. Fast forward a few decades, and Singapore now has 118 markets and hawker centres across the country.

Eating is a national pastime and hawker food bloggers are aplenty in the country. Seven years ago it was clear that Michelin – known originally for rating fine-dining restaurants – wanted a slice of the pie.

The Michelin Guide compiles lists of the top dining establishments in various countries. The guide includes different types of awards: Michelin Stars are reserved for the cream of the crop, while a Michelin Bib Gourmand is awarded to eateries where good food is served at “a reasonable price”.

While Michelin started off rating cuisine across Europe, the list of countries has expanded globally over the years. The first guide in Asia was for Tokyo and was published in 2007.

But the decision for Michelin to start rating hawker food in the country is a controversial one: their review processes are vague and their inspectors are anonymous, which can make it difficult for the diners to determine if they’re truly credible when it comes to local fare.

KF Seetoh, the famed food critic and founder of Singapore’s first food travel guide Makansutra, believes that the Michelin Guide doesn’t improve the city state’s food scene.

Seetoh’s first edition of Makansutra was released in 1998 and included Singapore’s best heritage, traditional, and hawker street food.

“Frankly, they should just stick to what they’re good at. Let Singaporeans judge our own food,” Seetoh said.

But many hawkers disagree – including one of Singapore’s most high-profile street chefs: Chan Hong Meng.

The dish is made with seasoned rice and poached or roasted chicken. It’s often eaten with sambal, a spicy sauce made with garlic and chilli, and kecap manis, a sweet and savoury sauce.

Chan said that while he initially didn’t know what the Michelin Guide was, his life changed completely after receiving the recognition – and so did his business.

“When I first got the star, people lined up for my food for up to five hours. I was shocked at how well-received my food was,” Chan said in Chinese.

When the stall was dropped from the Michelin Guide in 2021, it shocked Singaporeans and tourists alike. Just a year later, the fast-casual offshoot of Chan’s hawker stall was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand.

But Chan believes that being named on the Michelin Guide’s “budget” list is still good for his food’s reputation. The Michelin Bib Gourmand, he said, gives the same affirmation to his food as the coveted star – and that ultimately, these lists help raise the profile of local food.

“I feel blessed to have retained the award for five years. The Bib Gourmand gives me the motivation that my food is on the right track, and that we’re not losing our way or direction,” Chan said.

Leslie Tay, who’s behind local food blog ieatishootipost, agrees that the Michelin spotlight makes a big difference to the livelihoods of the hawkers who are featured.

“The Michelin Guide is globally known, especially for tourists coming to Singapore. It’s something that they can easily get hold of and it’s a name that they have a certain level of trust in,” Tay said.

While Michelin’s ratings of hawker fare have been met with debate in Singapore, they help to enrich the multiplicity of food opinion, said Debbie Yong, a restaurant industry observer and former dining correspondent.

“The Michelin Guide’s ratings of hawker food are understandably controversial and not unique to Michelin – anyone who has ever tried to voice an opinion on food, hawker or otherwise, is bound to stir up debate in a country that is so madly passionate about food,” Yong said.

Some locals believe that the surge in popularity has affected the overall eating experience at Michelin-recognised hawkers.

“Singaporeans know that good food is worth queuing up for – I am no exception,” Jonathan Lee said. “But when my favourite claypot rice at Chinatown made it on the list a few years ago, the line was quite maddening and I just never wanted to go back again.”

“It takes around 20 minutes on average to get my claypot chicken, and waiting 45 minutes to an hour is overkill,” Lee added.

Waiting time aside, others see a difference in terms of food standards.

“If you catch Mr Chan during his shift at the original stall, you’ll find that the food is still great and the price cheap. But the outlets are pretty bad – overpriced and honestly not up to standard,” said Jeanette Lee, a local whose office is located five minutes from Chan’s Chinatown hawker stall.

“Your humble mom-and-pop recipe has to be so well replicated. I think they failed because they just cut and paste. The only person who knows the food very well is Chan himself,” Seetoh said. On the other hand, he added that the only remaining Michelin-starred hawker in Singapore – Tai Hwa Pork Noodle – has one stall and retains its artisanal qualities.

But few hawkers are interested in expanding the same way that Chan did – and that might be their saving grace.

“When you have one hawker stall, there is the founder and owner, the passionate guy who’s been doing it for 20 years,” Tay said. “If the hawker stall just remains as one hawker stall, the standard isn’t likely to go down.”

Apart from generating buzz, it’s hard to tell if a Michelin rating accurately indicates good hawker food.

“I think the Michelin Bib Gourmand has been helpful in highlighting cheaper eats, but it is also quite annoying,” Jonathan Lee said.

When the demand for a certain hawker’s food goes up, that stress on the hawker causes quite a few problems, including longer wait times, increased prices, and a drop in quality, he said.

“But I guess it’s the circle of life because I also give other patrons grief when I visit their favourite stalls when it gets published on the list,” he added.

Moreover, there are plenty of great eats that are known locally, but never made it onto the list.

“A hawker stall’s Michelin recognition doesn’t really mean its a better experience and since I know some places without a star that serve amazing food, I see no real difference,” Lee said.

But this doesn’t stop hawkers from striving for the Michelin Guide’s recognition.

Louis Tan, another chicken-rice vendor based at Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown, believes that being included in the Bib Gourmand list is something that’s highly prized among hawkers.

Tan, who trained as a fine dining chef in London, knows exactly what the Michelin Guide is about. He’s been in the food industry for 30 years, and is adamant that a Bib Gourmand plaque is exactly what his stall needs to get more customers.

“Everyone wishes to be famous. Michelin is recognised by the whole world,” Tan said, adding that many hawkers he knows want to be awarded the Bib Gourmand – but they don’t know how to be noticed by inspectors.

“Hawkers compete for it, and I want my food to be known for its quality,” he said.

But Seetoh said that the list can mislead foreign diners who may not be familiar with Singaporean fare.

“There are people who eat fame. They come here and they don’t know any better, and they follow the Bib Gourmand,” he said.

The best way to find food worth trying, Seetoh said, is to simply ask locals what and where they enjoy eating.

As for the Michelin Guide – it should stick to what it’s good at, he said.

“Michelin shouldn’t short-sell themselves and do hawker food or street food. It’s a sell-out,” Seetoh added.

Michelin did not respond to requests for comment.