Understanding Website Terms of Use When Reading Restaurant Guides and Posting Reviews

Why terms of use matter for food and dining content

Many people visit dining and culture websites to find restaurant recommendations, check opening times, read reviews, or book tickets and experiences. Behind the scenes, these platforms typically operate under a set of Terms of Use that govern how the website can be accessed, what users are allowed to do, and what happens when users create accounts or submit reviews.

These terms generally apply as soon as you access the website. If you do not wish to be bound by the terms, the expectation is that you should not access or use the website. Terms are also commonly updated from time to time, and continued use after changes is treated as acceptance. Because culinary listings and review sections are interactive, the rules around accounts, submissions, and accuracy checks can affect everyday actions—such as writing a restaurant review, responding as a venue representative, or relying on a listing’s opening hours.

Account creation and basic responsibilities

Some parts of a website may require you to create a user account. Account creation may be possible using an email address or through a social media login. When you log in via social media, the platform may request permission to access selected data needed for the service to work, store that data in your profile, and update your account if the social application reports changes.

Terms often place clear responsibilities on the user:

• You may be required to provide full and accurate information, including your real name.
• You are typically not allowed to create multiple user accounts.
• You should not use another user’s account without their prior consent.
• You are responsible for activity on your account and are expected to keep your password secure.
• If you become aware of unauthorised use, you should notify the website operator immediately.

In addition, where a website asks you to provide information, you generally agree to provide true, accurate, current, and complete details. Optional information may be requested, but you are not necessarily obliged to provide it.

Acceptable use: what you should avoid

Terms of use usually include a list of prohibited activities designed to protect the platform, its users, and its content. These restrictions can be especially relevant in food and restaurant contexts where users may be tempted to promote businesses, scrape listings, or post inflammatory content.

• Do not impersonate another person, use a false name, or mislead others about your identity or the origin of communications.
• Do not access or modify data stored on a computer or device through the network when the owner has restricted access or asked you not to do so.
• Do not upload files or materials you do not own or have a licence to use, and do not collect information about others without consent.
• Do not damage, interfere with, or disrupt access to the website or impair its functionality.
• Do not use the website to send unsolicited emails or marketing/publicity materials.
• Do not publish or transmit defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, indecent, unlawful, or otherwise objectionable material.
• Do not upload viruses, bugs, trojan horses, worms, or other harmful software.
• Do not falsify the true ownership of software or other material in a file.
• Do not use the website or content for business or commercial purposes.
• Do not attempt to obtain unauthorised access to the website.

Linking to the website

Some platforms allow you to link to their home page, but typically only if the link is fair and legal, does not take advantage of or damage the platform’s reputation, and does not suggest any association, approval, or endorsement unless permission has been granted. Permission to link can also be withdrawn at any time without notice.

Posting restaurant reviews and other user submissions

Food and dining sites often allow users to submit content such as videos, comments, and reviews (commonly referred to as “User Submissions”). These submissions must comply with the terms and any additional rules published for submissions.

When you submit content, you may be granting the platform a broad licence to use it. The licence described in typical terms can be worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable, irrevocable, and non-exclusive, allowing the platform to use, reproduce, share, copy, modify, publish, edit, translate, reformat, host, aggregate, distribute, perform, and display the submission, and to sublicense those rights. Other users of the website may also receive a licence to access the submissions through the website. At the same time, you usually retain your ownership rights, subject to the licence you grant.

Review standards are often specific in culinary contexts. A review is expected to be your description of an experience you had—alone or with friends or family—and your genuine opinion. Platforms may encourage reviews that are informative, entertaining, and helpful, including what you enjoyed or did not enjoy.

Common review rules: authenticity, tone, and formatting

To keep restaurant reviews useful and trustworthy, terms may require that you:

• Submit only content that does not infringe third-party intellectual property rights or violate laws and regulations.
• Avoid defamatory, libellous, threatening, or harassing content.
• Exclude email addresses, phone numbers, and URLs to personal websites or blogs.
• Avoid posting a report of someone else’s experience; reviews should be first-hand.
• Confirm you have no personal or business relationship with what you are reviewing, have not been offered an incentive or payment to write the review, and are not airing personal grievances.
• Follow a “zero-tolerance” approach to fake reviews.
• Keep reviews user-friendly (no profanities, threats, prejudiced comments, hate speech, or sexually explicit language).
• Write unique and independent reviews—generally one review per first-hand experience for a given restaurant, event, or attraction.
• Keep content original and avoid substantial quoting from other sources.
• Keep submissions non-commercial, avoiding promotional material or self-promotional URLs.
• Meet eligibility requirements such as being over 18 and submitting with a valid email address.
• Follow formatting rules such as no HTML tags and avoiding excessive ALL CAPS or typographic symbols.

Some platforms also allow management or representatives of venues and restaurants to respond to reviews, identified via their user accounts. The website operator may reserve the right to remove reviews, comments, or management responses at any time for any reason.

Moderation, liability, and reporting concerns

Platforms commonly state that they do not endorse user submissions or any opinions, recommendations, or advice expressed by users, and they disclaim liability connected with those submissions. Users may encounter content from a variety of sources, and the platform may not be responsible for its accuracy, usefulness, safety, or intellectual property status. Terms may also require users to waive certain rights or remedies against the platform related to exposure to inaccurate, offensive, indecent, or objectionable submissions.

If you believe a submission is inaccurate, offensive, indecent, objectionable, or infringes intellectual property rights, terms may provide a contact email for reporting, after which the platform may investigate and may temporarily or permanently remove the content at its discretion.

Accuracy of listings and practical verification

Restaurant listings and event details can change. Platforms may use reasonable efforts to maintain the website and verify information where practical, but they may not be able to ensure complete accuracy for changeable details such as opening times, performance dates, schedules, and current prices. Users are commonly advised to confirm such details with the relevant venue, facility, or service provider before relying on them.

Bookings, tickets, and other e-commerce transactions

Some websites enable e-commerce transactions, including acquiring tickets, packages, goods, products, and services, or making bookings for venues and events. Transactions may be offered by the platform itself and/or by commercial partners. Where a transaction is with a partner, you may need to agree to separate terms and conditions directly with that partner, and the platform may state it cannot be held responsible for those partner transactions. Where you transact directly with the platform, separate e-commerce terms and conditions may apply depending on the jurisdiction of delivery.

Availability, changes, and “as is” operation

Website access may be suspended temporarily and without notice due to system failure, maintenance, repair, or reasons beyond control. The operator may also modify or withdraw the website (or parts of it) for business and operational reasons and may change the terms. The website and services are often provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis for information and personal use only, typically without warranties regarding uninterrupted access, security, accuracy, compatibility, or freedom from viruses or bugs.

Terms may also limit liability for damages arising from use or performance of the website. However, provisions may exist for situations where defective digital content supplied by the operator damages your device due to a failure to use reasonable care and skill, with remedies such as repair or compensation, subject to conditions (for example, applying updates and following installation instructions). If you are dissatisfied with the website or the terms, a common stated remedy is to stop using the website. Terms may also clarify that liability is not disclaimed where it would be unlawful to do so, and that statutory consumer rights are not affected.

Content ownership and restrictions on reuse

Website content—information, graphics, and images—is typically owned by or licensed to the operator or related entities. Users may be allowed to view the website and print content for personal and non-commercial use only. Other uses—such as copying, publishing, reproducing, modifying, creating new works from content, or using the website’s source code—are generally prohibited without prior written consent. The terms may also specify restrictions on using content with artificial intelligence or machine learning platforms, including use for training or retrieval-augmented generation, without prior written approval, and may prohibit sharing archived or cached datasets containing the content.

Third-party links and external resources

Dining and culture websites often include hyperlinks to third-party sites and resources. These external sites have their own terms of use and privacy policies, and the platform typically states it is not responsible for the availability, privacy practices, or content of those third-party sites, nor does it endorse them. Third-party links, including advertisements, generally do not imply endorsement, affiliation, or legal authorisation to use intellectual property accessible through those links.

Enforcement, restrictions, and governing law

Terms commonly allow the operator to monitor activity and content, investigate reported violations or complaints, and take action deemed appropriate, including warnings, suspension, termination, attaching conditions to access, or removing materials. Access may also be restricted due to regulatory changes, events beyond reasonable control, or suspected abuse or breach of terms.

Finally, terms often specify how notices are given (commonly by email), state that the terms and related policies form the entire agreement for website use, and identify the governing law and jurisdiction (for example, English law and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of English courts).