How we check
Every fact needs a source and a date
Where facts come from
Food programs: each listing comes from the organization’s own website, the Ottawa Food Bank’s agency list, or 211 Ontario, and links to that page. Restaurants: the listing (name, address, hours, cuisine) comes from OpenStreetMap; menu items come only from the restaurant’s own website. Neighbourhoods use the City of Ottawa’s official neighbourhood boundaries.
Dates on everything
Every program shows the date we last checked its source. Every menu item shows the date we read it. Restaurant listings show when the OpenStreetMap entry was last edited.
Unknown stays unknown
If a program publishes no hours, we say “no regular hours published”. If a menu shows no price, we say “price not published”. We never fill a gap with a guess or a sample.
Ranking is never for sale
Lists are ordered by usefulness: published menu items, known hours, independent restaurants, then name. Programs are ordered by opening time or name. Money is not an input, and no restaurant or program pays us.
Allergies and diets
A vegan, halal or gluten-free label is the restaurant’s own claim. We never infer it from the cuisine or a photo. Shared kitchens can cause cross-contact — confirm serious allergies directly with the kitchen.
Corrections
Anyone can report a correction from any listing. We check it against the source, update the listing and keep the date. Restaurants can also edit their own OpenStreetMap entry, which flows into the next update.