How we actually rank.
No black box, no pay-to-play, no “promoted” results wearing a trench coat. Here is the exact scoring we run on every spot, so you can hold us to it.
The score
Every spot gets a composite score, recomputed continuously:
score = editor_rating × 10
+ log(review_count + 1) × 5
− distance_meters ÷ 100
+ community_votes (▲ / ▼)
+ featured_bonus (editorial pick: +15)
+ open_now_bonus (+10)Distance only matters for “near me” results — city rankings drop the distance term. Community votes are one up-or-down per signed-in account per spot, Reddit-style, and vote history is public in aggregate.
Where the data comes from
Base facts (location, hours, photos) come from Google Places and are refreshed on a 24-hour cache. Ratings come from two places only: our editors, who visit and eat; and our signed-in community, whose reviews and votes are tied to real accounts — one review and one vote per spot per person. We don’t scrape or republish other platforms’ review text.
What money can and cannot buy
Cannot buy: a rank, a star, a spot in the top 5, a “featured” badge (those are editorial picks). Ever.
Can buy (for claimed, verified owners): better presentation of a listing — owner photos, menu details, responding to reviews. Presentation, never position. If we ever break this rule, call it out publicly and we’ll fix it or shut it down.
Corrections
Spot closed? Wrong hours? Ranking feels off? Tell us — corrections ship within days, and pages carry their last-verified date.