Community Guidelines

Ate Local exists to help people discover the best local Food & Drink businesses in every city — and to support the communities that make those places great. These guidelines exist so every review, photo, and listing on Ate Local can be trusted by the diners and business owners who rely on them.

Honest contributions are the foundation of Ate Local.

• Share genuine experiences from visits you actually had.
• No fake, incentivized, or fabricated reviews.
• Do not review your own business, or businesses owned by family, friends, or employers.
• Businesses may not purchase, exchange, or coerce positive reviews.

Treat every diner, business owner, and community member with respect.

• No harassment.
• No hate speech.
• No discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, or national origin.
• No bullying.
• No threats of violence.
• No personal attacks on staff or other users.

• No explicit, sexual, or graphic content.
• No spam, promotional links, or repetitive posts.
• No scams, phishing, or deceptive claims.
• No misleading information about a business, product, or event.
• No content that promotes illegal activity.

• Upload only photos you own or have permission to use.
• Photos should accurately represent the business, dish, or space they depict.
• Respect copyrights and trademarks — no watermarked or borrowed images.

• Keep your business information accurate and up to date.
• Do not impersonate another business or claim a business you do not represent.
• Featured Placement never changes reviews, star ratings, or ranking of user content.
• Respond to customer feedback professionally, even when it's critical.

• Represent your community fairly and inclusively.
• Avoid conflicts of interest when recommending or curating businesses.
• Use moderation tools responsibly and only for legitimate policy violations.
• Focus on helping your local market grow and thrive.

To protect the community, Ate Local may:

• Remove reviews that violate these guidelines.
• Remove photos.
• Remove business listings.
• Suspend accounts temporarily.
• Permanently terminate accounts for serious or repeated violations.

We aim to be fair and consistent, but we reserve the right to take action whenever it's needed to keep Ate Local trustworthy.

If you see a review, business, or photo that violates these guidelines, please report it. You can flag content directly on Ate Local or email us at hello@8-l.com. Reports are reviewed by our team.

These guidelines may evolve as Ate Local grows and as we learn from the community. When we make meaningful changes, we will update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify users through the Service.