Method

How we rank, and what we refuse to fake

A directory is only useful if you can trust it. Here's exactly how our listings and lists work.

We don't fabricate anything

No invented star ratings. No made-up reviews. No fake top-ten ordering. If a number or quote isn't real and sourced, it doesn't go on the page.

Third-party ratings are shown live, not stored

When a page shows a Google or other third-party rating, it's fetched when you load the page and attributed to its source. We don't cache those numbers or present them as our own score. Ratings change, and a stored number goes stale and misleads.

Our best-for lists are labeled opinions

Lists like date night or study-friendly are editorial picks. Each states the attributes it's built on, for example seating, later hours, and quieter rooms for date night. A shop only appears once those attributes are verified, so a list is never padded with shops we haven't checked.

No paid placement on best-for lists

A shop cannot buy its way onto a best-for list or move up one. Sponsored and featured placements exist, but they're labeled and kept separate from the ranked lists. See how we make money.

How a shop gets verified

Every shop moves through the same steps: name and address confirmed, coordinates geocoded so the pin matches the real spot, hours and phone taken from the shop's own listing, and amenities confirmed before they show. Until a profile's core facts are confirmed, it reads as Verifying and stays out of search results rather than showing a guessed hour that sends you to a closed shop.

Corrections

Anyone can flag a mistake. If a shop closed, moved, or changed hours, tell us and we'll verify and update.