How we verify reviews
On OpenRate, a venue’s rating counts only reviews confirmed by a receipt. Here is how it works and what happens to reviews without one.
Venue rating
A venue’s rating is a plain average of the ratings (1 to 5) in published reviews confirmed by a receipt, rounded to one decimal, with no weighting or adjustments; the number of those ratings is shown next to it. Reviews without a receipt are not part of it. A review rated 3 stars or lower first goes to the venue as a case and, until the case is handled, is not published and not part of the average. If a guest who confirmed the visit with a receipt is unhappy with the resolution, the review is published and counts towards the rating. The rating appears once a venue has at least 10 published reviews with a receipt and has been on the platform for at least 30 days.
How a receipt is checked
A visit is confirmed by a receipt: the guest scans it in the app, or the payment arrives from the venue’s POS system. Only these reviews affect the rating.
A review can also be left without a receipt — through the venue’s QR menu, for example. Other guests may see such a review, but it does not affect the venue’s rating.
Moderation
Reviews are published by the same rules for every venue. OpenRate moderation hides a review with insults, advertising or someone else’s personal data. On the site we hide phone numbers, e-mail addresses and links in a review’s text, and name the author by first name and the initial of the surname.
A review rated 3 or lower is not shown to other guests at first: the venue receives it as a complaint and can resolve the problem. The guest then rates the resolution. If the guest remains unhappy, a review confirmed by a receipt is published. Until the resolution is rated, the review stays hidden.
A venue cannot delete, hide or edit a guest’s review.
Rewards for reviews
A guest may receive OpenCoin points for a review. On the site, such a review says next to it that points were credited for it.
The reward does not depend on the rating: the number of points is set by the review’s format — text, photo, video, dish ratings — not by the number of stars.
Compensation for a guest’s complaint does not require deleting or changing the review.
Appeals
If you believe a review breaks the rules or was hidden by mistake, write to support — a guest and a venue alike can do so. We will check the review by the same rules as any other.
Limits of the check
A receipt confirms the visit and the payment, not that the guest’s opinion is objective.
A receipt that could not be confirmed automatically is checked by a member of the venue’s staff.
Reviews rated 3 or lower that stayed hidden after a complaint are not part of the venue’s rating.