At least nominally this is not true: Michelin claims that stars are only earned based on the quality of the cuisine, not the comfort or service of the establishment.

Now, Michelin "inspectors" are human and certainly still susceptible to our usual cognitive biases, like food tasting "better" if it's eaten with a vermeil fork. And the economics of the restaurant industry make it difficult to profitably produce the kind of meal that earns Michelin stars without charging so much that your customers will demand a certain level of ambiance and service.

It will be interesting to see if this is a one-off for the Guide, or represents the start of a shift away from the dominance of 7+ course, white tablecloth places.