How DishVote rankings work
DishVote compares individual dishes, not star ratings for a whole restaurant. The recorded total is a starting point for exploring a menu, not proof that a dish is objectively the best.
What the vote totals include
Dish totals combine votes from signed-in members, votes from guests and starter counts added when the catalog was populated. Starter accounts also contributed votes and other sample activity. This starter data is not independent customer feedback. Recorded totals therefore must not be read as a count of real diners, verified purchases or unique people.
Starter data remains in the current rankings. A large displayed total can reflect that starting allocation, not a large number of customers who visited recently. We disclose this limitation rather than presenting the totals as entirely organic.
How the order is calculated
A restaurant's dishes are ordered by their recorded totals, highest first. A restaurant's overall total combines starter counts on live dishes with member and guest votes associated with that restaurant. City, cuisine and country lists order restaurants by that total. Category comparisons order matching dishes by their dish total.
Top share is the leading dish's recorded total divided by the sum of the displayed dish totals, multiplied by 100. It is not a satisfaction percentage. Equal totals do not establish a winner, and a low-ranked or newly added dish can still be an excellent choice.
These are cumulative totals, not a rolling survey of this month's diners. Repeat contributions in different months can count again. Popularity, menu size and starter allocations can all affect a position.
Who can vote and what the checks mean
Signed-in members can vote for a particular dish once per calendar month. Guest voting uses a browser fingerprint and limits that fingerprint to one vote per restaurant per month. These checks reduce repeat submissions but do not verify a restaurant visit, a purchase or a unique human.
We do not claim that the system eliminates fake votes. The terms prohibit manipulation with bots, scripts and fake accounts. Submission moderation is separate from verifying the origin of every vote.
Listings, photos and dietary information
The catalog contains preloaded listings and community submissions. Restaurant, dish and photo submissions have review workflows, but a listing is not a guarantee of current opening hours, prices, availability or recipe ingredients.
Vegan and vegetarian comparisons use the dietary labels on the listed dishes. Other categories match keywords in dish names, which can include imperfect matches. Always check the restaurant's current menu and ask the staff about ingredients, allergies and cross-contact before ordering.
To report a wrong dish name, location, photo or dietary label, send the page link and the correction to info.dishvote@gmail.com. Do not send payment details or other sensitive information.
Featured placements and editorial guides
Adding a restaurant is free. Paid featured placements are shown separately from the ordinary restaurant list. Buying a placement does not add votes to a dish or change the total used to order the ordinary ranking.
Our blog and ordering guides are editorial reading, not verified restaurant inspections or a statistical survey of food trends. Sources, where supplied, support the article's discussion. A general recommendation in a guide is not automatically the top-ranked dish at every branch of a chain.
Use the rankings as a shortlist
Compare the dish descriptions and recorded totals, then check recent independent feedback and the current menu. For a tie or a small amount of information, ask the restaurant what it does especially well. The useful question is which dish fits your preferences, budget and dietary needs, not simply which number is biggest.