Confidentials has published independent food and hospitality journalism for more than 21 years. We do not accept payment for restaurant reviews: our reviewers arrive unannounced, pay in full, and report honestly. Since 2004, we have offered £10,000 to anyone who can prove we took money for a review - it has never been claimed.
At Confidentials, independence and integrity have always been at the heart of what we do. For more than 21 years, across Manchester Confidential, Liverpool Confidential, and our sister sites including Confidential Guides, we’ve built our reputation on trust, experience, and a straight-talking approach to food and hospitality journalism.
We have never accepted payment for restaurant reviews, and we never will. Our reviewers arrive unannounced, pay in full, and report the experience exactly as they find it - good, bad, or somewhere in between. That is why readers trust us, and why our voice still matters across the North.
In fact, as far back as 2004, we publicly offered a £10,000 cheque to anyone who could prove we had accepted money for a review - with the money to be donated to a charity of their choosing. It was never claimed then, and it has never been claimed since.
Alongside our editorial independence, we’ve always worked hard to support the region’s independent restaurants and hospitality businesses. Nearly a decade ago, we introduced premium gift vouchers via the free-to-download Confidentials app - a practical way for venues to market with us using high-quality, full-value vouchers rather than relying solely on cash budgets. It’s a simple commercial principle: fair barter, transparently delivered, and designed to help independents compete with national chains through SEO, email marketing, and social media.
Since launch, the Confidentials app has achieved more than 100,000 downloads and issued over 120,000 vouchers, representing hundreds of thousands of dining occasions. The response from both restaurants and diners has been overwhelmingly positive, with only a small number of issues over nearly ten years.
From time to time, isolated disagreements have been amplified online. That happens in the digital world, but the facts speak for themselves: Confidentials’ editorial and commercial standards are well-established, widely respected, and focused on supporting the independent dining scene across the North.
Our mission remains unchanged: to write, review, and promote without fear or favour - supporting the hospitality industry we love while always putting honesty first.
Do Confidentials take money for restaurant reviews?
No. We do not accept payment for restaurant reviews.
Do reviewers visit anonymously?
Yes. Reviewers arrive unannounced and pay in full.
Do you work with restaurants commercially?
Yes. We provide clearly labelled advertising and marketing services, separate from editorial.
