Recently, the AAA organization named its annual list of Five Diamond restaurants. As experienced travelers and faux epicureans, as I consider myself, my wife and I have become accustomed to seeing quality proclamations and awards on a yearly basis, but I didn’t actually know what differentiates a Five Diamond establishment from a One Diamond establishment.  My curiosity got the better of me and thus I embarked on what I would characterize as a quality food journey.

As luck would have it, my travels took me no farther than Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we Michiganders are blessed with the only AAA Five Diamond Restaurant in the state. In fact, this is the fifth year in a row that The 1913 Room, located inside the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, has been so recognized.

Please understand that I’m not a shill for The 1913 Room, nor is this article meant to be a restaurant review. Having no familiarity with the elements of the AAA Five Diamond Award, I found it fascinating and illuminating to explore the review process. I was pleased to discover that it mirrors many of the quality processes I’m familiar with, in particular the Baldrige Award, and here is a summary of my findings:

 …