How the rankings work

Mark the places you know

Swipe through venues in Macclesfield and mark the ones you have been to. You need to have visited at least two places in a category before you can start voting.

Vote in head-to-head matchups

We show you two places from the same category and you pick your favourite. Simple as that. Each matchup is unique, so you will never see the same pairing twice.

Scores update in real time

Every vote shifts both venues' scores. A win against a higher-rated place earns more points than beating one rated below you. Upsets matter more than expected results.

Rankings emerge from real opinions

After a venue has played 6 matchups it earns its place on the public leaderboard. The more votes cast, the more accurate the rankings become. No one person decides the order.

How are scores calculated?

We use an ELO rating system, the same method used to rank chess players. Every venue starts at 1,500 points. When you pick a winner, the winner gains points and the loser drops by a similar amount. The size of the swing depends on the gap between them: beating a higher-rated place earns you more, while beating a much lower-rated place earns very little.

How many votes does a place need to get ranked?

A venue needs at least 6 head-to-head matchups before it appears on the public leaderboard. Until then it is listed as "unranked" while it collects enough data.

Can someone rig the rankings?

Each person can only vote on a given pairing once, so you cannot spam the same matchup. The ELO system is also self-correcting: one unusual result barely moves the needle when a venue has dozens of other votes pulling it toward its true position.

What if I have not been to a place?

You will only ever be asked to compare places you have marked as visited. We never ask you to judge somewhere you have not tried.

Do I need an account?

You can start voting straight away without signing in. Your votes are saved locally on your device for up to an hour. When you create an account, any votes you cast while browsing are automatically saved to your profile.

Can a venue's score hit zero?

No. There is a minimum score floor of 100 points. No matter how many losses a venue racks up, it can never drop below that. And a single upset win can bounce it right back up.

How are matchups chosen?

We pick pairings that will be most useful for the rankings. Places with fewer matchups get priority so new venues are rated quickly. We also prefer pairing venues with similar scores, because close matchups tell us more than lopsided ones.