Public document
Methodology
Every index is built the same way. We define the market census, score all of its entries against the same components with the same weights, fix a threshold before looking at who falls on which side, and publish the full list of everyone above it together with the resulting rate.
The four rules that do not depend on the market
- The threshold is fixed before scoring. Adjusting it after seeing who is in and who is out stops being a methodology and becomes a selection with a calculation attached.
- The merit score cannot see ability to pay. Merit and purchase propensity are computed in separate systems, and the process that scores merit has no access to the other one. That is a technical constraint, not a promise.
- Every selected profile carries its evidence log, with the source consulted and the date, visible on the profile itself.
- No payment changes the outcome. The fee buys the assessment. Not the result, not position, not staying on it. What is paid for is the documentary check and the licence to use the emblem.
We work from public sources, and public sources are incomplete. An excellent kitchen whose work leaves no public trace scores low here, and that is a real limitation of the method rather than an opinion about their work. That is what the correction route is for: if evidence is missing, it is submitted and the profile is scored again on the same weights.
What can genuinely go wrong
Vertical
Restaurants
Independent restaurants assessed on their public safety record, trading continuity and verifiable identity — never on taste.
Components and weights
| Component | Weight | What it measures | Evidence source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food safety record | 30% | The inspection history over time, not the latest score on its own. One good visit is luck; five in a row is a kitchen. | The public food hygiene register for the market, with the date of each inspection. |
| Trading continuity | 25% | Years in operation at the same address under the same operator, and stability of the record across that time. | Registration date in the food business register and the public company record. |
| Independent recognition | 20% | Recognition by third parties that publish their criteria and do not charge for inclusion. Paid placements and sponsored lists score zero. | Guides and press with a published method, cited individually on the restaurant record. |
| Verifiable identity | 15% | Current licence, checkable address, and a company record that matches the trading name. | The food business register and the public company register. |
| Client signals | 10% | How public reviews are distributed over time, not their average. A flat 5.0 is a flag, not a merit. | Public reviews attributable to the establishment. |
| Total | 100% | Selection threshold: 72 out of 100. | |
Who is excluded
- No current registration in the market’s public food business register.
- Fewer than 24 months trading at the assessed address.
- A food hygiene rating below the market’s pass threshold at the cut-off date.
- An open or upheld enforcement action by the local food authority.
- Chains above 10 locations: this index covers independents.
Markets and census
| Market | Census | Source and date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| London, United Kingdom | 27,171 | Food Standards Agency, Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data. Establishments of type Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen across the 33 London local authorities (api.ratings.food.gov.uk) (2026-08-17) | Published |
| Bali, Indonesia | — | Own census, to be built and published in full. No index is published until it exists. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates | — | Dubai Municipality food establishment permits: source identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | — | Fødevarestyrelsen Smiley scheme: every inspection report is public. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Paris, France | — | Alim'confiance: official food hygiene inspection results, published as open data. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Singapore, Singapore | — | Singapore Food Agency licensed food establishments, with the hygiene grade. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR | — | Food and Environmental Hygiene Department register of licensed food premises. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Tokyo, Japan | — | Food business licences are issued by prefectural public health centres. No single consultable register confirmed yet. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Sydney, Australia | — | NSW Food Authority register of food businesses, plus the council Scores on Doors ratings. Register identified, count not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Melbourne, Australia | — | Victorian council food premises registers under the Food Act. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Auckland, New Zealand | — | Auckland Council food grading register, published per premises. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | — | Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority food establishment permits. Register identified, count and date not yet verified. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
| Doha, Qatar | — | Ministry of Public Health food establishment licensing. No public consultable register confirmed yet. | Not published: census with a source is missing |
Corrections and removal
A wrong detail on a profile is corrected within 72 hours of being reported. Anyone can ask for their profile to be removed from the index and it is removed, with no conditions and no questions: write to [email protected] or use the removal form.