Inspector Code of Ethics & Evaluation Methodology

The Chamblee Dining Guide is committed to recognizing culinary excellence, cultural storytelling, and community impact through an independent and transparent evaluation process. Restaurants included in the guide are assessed using a structured scoring rubric and a consistent set of ethical principles.

The goal of the guide is to celebrate restaurants that honor food traditions, contribute to cultural memory, and demonstrate excellence in hospitality and culinary craft.

Independence

All restaurant evaluations are conducted independently.

Meals are paid for by the inspector and are not comped or sponsored by the restaurant being reviewed. The Chamblee Dining Guide does not accept payment in exchange for reviews, rankings, or awards. This ensures that evaluations remain fair, unbiased, and based solely on the dining experience.

Anonymous Dining

Whenever possible, restaurants are visited anonymously in order to experience the establishment in the same manner as any guest. This allows the evaluation to reflect the typical service, atmosphere, and quality of food presented to the public.

Ethnographic Approach

The Chamblee Dining Guide incorporates ethnographic methods into its evaluation process. Ethnography emphasizes careful observation, cultural context, and lived experience.

Restaurants are not evaluated solely on technical execution of food, but also on the ways they:

• communicate cultural heritage through cuisine
• reflect community traditions and narratives
• create meaningful spaces of gathering and identity

This approach allows the guide to recognize restaurants as sites of culture, storytelling, and memory, not simply places of consumption.

Professional Restaurant Experience

The guide is informed by nearly 15 years of cumulative experience working within the restaurant industry. This background provides practical insight into the realities of kitchen operations, service expectations, hospitality standards, and the challenges faced by restaurant owners and staff.

This experience informs a balanced evaluation that recognizes both culinary excellence and the labor required to sustain high-quality dining environments.

Commitment to Cultural Respect

The Chamblee Dining Guide recognizes that restaurants are deeply connected to community identity and heritage. Evaluations are conducted with respect for the cultural traditions, culinary histories, and local communities represented by each establishment.

The guide aims not only to critique restaurants, but also to honor the stories, traditions, and people who sustain them.