At Eat Out, we believe that every exceptional restaurant deserves to be recognised for its culinary excellence, and our judging process reflects this unwavering commitment. As we enter a new era of celebrating South African dining, we’ve refined our approach to ensure that only the best of the best rise to the top. Think of our process as a funnel, where only the finest contenders make it to the final stage.

Here’s how we get there…

In March last year, Eat Out undertook extensive research with industry professionals and diners alike, ensuring our new judging system is not only thorough but reflective of the diverse needs and expectations within the restaurant scene. We applied this enhanced framework rigorously in 2024, refining our funnel to ensure that each restaurant is considered with the utmost care and precision. 

The process starts wide, with thousands of restaurants entering the funnel. But only those that meet our stringent criteria and demonstrate exceptional qualities make it through to the final stage – the prestigious shortlist. Here’s how we filter the contenders:

At the top of the funnel, we apply a series of clear and comprehensive criteria that every restaurant must meet to be considered for evaluation:  

Once a restaurant passes the top-of-funnel criteria, it moves into the next phase, where the in-depth review process begins:  

At the narrow end of the funnel, only the most exceptional restaurants remain. This final evaluation phase is as thorough as it gets: 

• Paid meals, travel and accommodation: To ensure complete objectivity, Eat Out covers the cost of all meals, travel and accommodation for the scouts and judges. This allows for unbiased evaluations and invests back into the South African restaurant industry.

In 2025, Eat Out is hosted a more intimate, industry-focused awards event at the Baxter Theatre Centre on 31 March, instead of November. By doing so, we have been able to invest more time and resources into the judging process, ensuring each shortlisted restaurant received comprehensive evaluation.  

With this enhanced judging process, Eat Out is proud to continue setting the standard for restaurant recognition in South Africa. By refining the funnel and ensuring that only the finest establishments rise to the top, we guarantee that those who make it to the final stage are truly deserving of celebration.