How we choose

What gets a business on the list

• Someone on our team or a reader we trust has used them and would again.
• They are in Forsyth County or serve it as a core area.
• We can confirm the basics: they exist, they are open, the phone number works, and any license the trade requires is current.
• We can write one or two honest sentences about why they are on the list.

What does not get a business on the list

• Money. Sponsoring the newsletter buys a labeled sponsor slot in the email, not a place here.
• Being a client of [Agency name], which owns FoCo Scoop. Clients can appear only when they meet the same bar as everyone else, and they are always labeled.
• Asking nicely. Suggestions are welcome and we check every one, but the decision is ours.

Labels you will see

• Sponsor: the business pays to sponsor the newsletter.
• Agency client: the business is a marketing client of [Agency name].
• Placeholder: an example entry that shows the format; not a real recommendation.

What we are not

We do not host user reviews or star ratings, and we do not copy reviews from other sites. If you want reviews, Google and Yelp have them. If you want to know where a neighbor would actually go, that is what this list is for.

Corrections

If a business on the list has let you down, or closed, or changed hands, tell us. We re-check every entry at least every few months and note the date on each one.