Frequently Asked Questions

What’s different about ZUFOLO searches?

• It’s completely free to use!
• No ads or sponsored results
• Search results are tailored to you and your specific tastes - these continue to evolve as you use the app
• Trustworthy scores - Read more about how we preserve the integrity of our reviews
• Exclusive deals and offers
• More intuitive searching including event searches, group searches, better filters, restaurant’s top foods, drinks and occasions
• Fast and easy to use features such as quick menu view, directions, rides, delivery, curbside pickup and bookings

How do I start searching?

It's easy to get started, simply register here and create a quick taste profile, then click on search and see your results immediately!

What’s different about ZUFOLO reviews?

• ZUFOLO reviews are not based on the traditional 5-star scale which is inconsistent, uninformative, and difficult to differentiate.
• Restaurants are rated on 20 categories covering food, service, atmosphere, and value. These categories are further subdivided into 100 subcategories, encompassing the entire dining experience.
• Restaurants are scored on a 100 point scale, then ranked accordingly, making it easy to find the best restaurants.
• ZUFOLO takes several steps to ensure that every review is a legitimate and accurate reflection of what to expect when dining at any particular establishment.

  Read more about how ZUFOLO preserves the integrity of their reviews here.

Why should I become a reviewer and how do I become one?

ZUFOLO reviewers are rewarded in a number of ways.

• You will know that your feedback is useful to both restaurant owners and future diners.
• You will earn Z bucks for every review you submit, which can be redeemed at participating restaurants.
• You will earn a score based on the number and accuracy of your reviews.
• Reviewers with high scores will be eligible for mystery shopper requests from restaurants, at a heavily discounted meal price.
• Reviewers with the highest scores will receive prizes directly from ZUFOLO, such as an all-expenses paid trip to a Michelin starred restaurant.
• If you’re really good, we may even invite you to become a full-time reviewer for ZUFOLO, so you can quit that boring desk job.
• It only takes about 3 minutes to complete a review, the more of them you submit, the more perks you get.
• It’s free to become a reviewer on the ZUFOLO platform.

As you use the app frequently, you will receive an invitation to become a certified reviewer. Alternatively, you can request an invitation using our contact form, just give us some details about yourself and what you think a great dining experience should include. Each reviewer can send out up to 5 invitations to other foodies they know and trust.

How does ZUFOLO preserve the integrity of their reviews?

ZUFOLO uses six independent methods to ensure the highest quality real reviews come from trusted sources.

• Location services

  • ZUFOLO requires that any review must be submitted from inside the restaurant (this prevents review farms or random people from submitting reviews who have never been to the restaurant)

• Reviewer score

  • Every reviewer receives their own score based on the number and accuracy of their reviews measured through statistical standard deviation analysis.
  • If a reviewer submits reviews that are far too harsh or generous based on the mean score they will in turn have a lower score.
  • Reviewers with lower scores will have their submissions weighted lower than reviewers with higher scores and will lose eligibility for mystery shop requests and prizes provided by ZUFOLO.

• Time decay weighting

  • With each day that passes since a review is submitted, that score is weighted lower until it is no longer relevant (staff, management and owner turnover in a restaurant is very high). The experience you have on day 1, will often be very different than the experience you would have on day 180, as that restaurant may have changed their staff and their approach. There is no reason for old reviews to be valued as highly as new reviews when evaluating the type of experience you should expect when going there.

• Reviewer accountability

  • Reviewers are only allowed to become reviewers by invitation. Those invitations will come with extended use of the app, or from other reviewers. This prevents any random user from becoming a reviewer.
  • Reviewers are required to submit a minimum number of regular reviews (approximately 1 per month).
  • This ensures that the reviewers stay in practice and eliminates the one-off reviewer who only wants to submit a negative or positive review for one restaurant.
  • We are only looking for dedicated reviewers on our app. Any reviewer that doesn’t meet the minimum usage requirements will lose their certified reviewer status, and have all of their previous reviews deleted from the system.

• In-depth reviews

  • All reviews are scored on 20 independent categories making it far more difficult to submit impulsive reviews that are not well thought out.

• Standard deviation analysis

  • We will eliminate any reviews that are on the extreme ends of positive or negative. We use statistical analysis to determine if a submitted review is an outlier and not indicative of a typical experience. The odds that a review will fall outside of 2 standard deviations from the mean is less than .01%, so those reviews are thrown out and not factored into our score. This eliminates the angry customer who just wants to damage a restaurant’s reputation, and the family member or friend who wants to artificially boost a restaurant’s score.

What are the ZUFOLO scoring criteria?

You can see every item that each ZUFOLO rated restaurant is scored on below.

Each category is scored from 1-5 with the following guide and considering appropriateness for the venue

• 5 = terrific
• 4 = above average
• 3 = average
• 2 = below average
• 1 = terrible

Food: 30 pts

• Taste (overall flavor, seasoning, balance, texture, cut properly, quality of ingredients, freshness)
• Presentation (how is the food displayed, accuracy of menu, tableware/silverware)
• Temperature (plate temperature, food temperature, cooked properly or over/under done)
• Portion size (generous, value for money, enough or too small)
• Menu (variety of options that accommodate most tastes, good selection of appealing dishes, creative or unexpected twists on dishes, able to accommodate special requests, regular changing specials, easy to read, matches theme)
• Beverage list (extensive selection, wine list, beer, cocktails, appropriate for venue)

Service: 30 pts

• Greeting (immediate, warm, welcoming)
• Friendliness (Smile, chatty, comfortable, ability to interact well with customers, appropriate demeanor, etc)
• Wait times/timing (to be seated, for drink orders and delivery, for food order and service, payment, efficiency, overall rushed or too slow)
• Attentiveness (Aware of problems, frequency of visits to the table, followed up throughout the meal, alert to any needs, assertive in taking action, able to deal with problems and issues, able to go above and beyond)
• Knowledge (competent, understands the menu items, beverage list, food preparation, specials, and able to answer any questions about the restaurant, memorization, out of stock items, till systems/payment)
• Organization (were staff well organized or chaotic, was there a good ratio of staff/customers, flow)

Atmosphere: 30 pts

• Cleanliness (Floors, tables, plates, tableware, kitchen, bathrooms, dishes)
• Acoustics (Volume of music, sound of other customers, able to have a conversation, able to hear the server)
• Music selection (appropriate for venue, good songs, unique, consistent)
• Décor (Furniture, decorations, style appropriate, plants, comfort, big enough tables)
• Ambiance (general warmth of the establishment, upkeep and condition of the overall venue, lighting, good layout and use of space, stylish, stuffy, interesting, well thought out, clear theme, brand identity)
• Staff appearance (Professionalism, attire, uniforms, cleanliness, dressed to fit dining style, easily distinguishable)

Miscellaneous: 10 pts

• Uniqueness of establishment (specialized features that no other restaurant features such as unique cuisine, established tradition, outstanding awards, oceanfront dining, music, historical significance, exceptional specials, clearly defined concept, good for large groups, cool bathrooms, other)
• Value

What’s different about the restaurant owner experience on ZUFOLO?

Owners have a suite of useful tools to help improve their business.

• Restaurants are already listed on the ZUFOLO platform, but once registered, have total control over their profile including photo approval and arrangement, booking and delivery links, as well as top foods, drinks and occasions.
• Restaurants can use ZUFOLO reviews to analyze data about their restaurant and performance and use it to make significant improvements to their business.
• All reviews are time stamped, include scoring on 20 criteria and 100 subcategories, and includes the customer’s favourite and least favourite dishes.
• This data is compiled in easy to digest format, given in context to city averages and previous periods, and prescribes specific action.
• Accepting Z bucks is the first step to success and a cheap and easy way to ensure that more reviewers come to your restaurant.
• Mystery shop requests can get access to our ZUFOLO highest rated and most accurate reviewers in exchange for a discounted meal.
• ZUFOLO also includes a vast source of effective and easy to use marketing tools.
• Deals and offers can be created, edited or removed in real time to suit your needs at any given moment.
• You can create an unlimited amount of deals and offers and track each one easily with True Money Value™ metrics showing the actual revenue generated.
• There are no minimum discount requirements, and no commission charged.
• You can even create events for weekly gigs, special occasions or holidays.

Download the ZUFOLO app and register your restaurant today.