How recognition works
NoirFriendly is a positive-only community. We publish good experiences, and we keep a private channel for everything else. This page explains the whole process, including how recognition ends.
What we publish
Members share recommendations: a good experience at a business where they felt welcomed and treated with dignity. Each recommendation includes the tags a member chose, what they would recommend, a few quick signals, and optional photos.
We do not publish ratings, scores, or averages. A business page shows how many people recommend it and what they liked most. That is the whole picture, on purpose.
Every recommendation is read by a person
Before a recommendation appears, someone on our team reads it. We check that it describes a real visit, that it is about the business and not about a person's private life, and that the writer has no stake in the business. Most recommendations appear within two days. If we cannot approve one, we tell the member why.
Concerns are handled privately
If you did not have a good experience, you can tell us privately. Concerns are never shown publicly and are never shared with the business in a way that identifies you. We use them to decide whether a business should keep its recognition.
How a business becomes Recognized
When a business reaches the community threshold of approved recommendations from distinct members within a twelve-month period, it becomes eligible. Our team reviews the account signals and any private concerns, then mails the business an offer letter with a one-time claim code.
Recognition is free. It cannot be bought, sponsored, or requested by the business. The threshold itself is not published so that it cannot be gamed. Owners can see their progress in their dashboard; the public sees only the count.
The decal
A Recognized business receives a window decal stamped with the year and printed with a unique QR code. Scanning it opens the business page, where anyone can confirm the recognition is active and share their own experience. Each decal can also be checked at noirfriendly.com/b followed by its code.
Renewal and revocation
Recognition lasts twelve months. A business renews by continuing to earn recommendations during that time. If it does not, the recognition expires and the decal shows as inactive when scanned.
We can revoke recognition early. Reasons include a pattern of credible private concerns, evidence that recommendations were solicited or paid for, or a change of ownership. A revoked decal shows as inactive when scanned. We notify the business in writing and explain the reason.
Your location
Sharing your location is optional and never requested until you tap Find where I am. When you do, we read it once to list businesses near you, and you choose the business yourself. We do not store the coordinates. The only thing we keep is a yes or no flag, “visit confirmed”, shown quietly on your recommendation. Check-ins never count toward recognition. Only written recommendations do.
Who can take part
Anyone can share an experience, and any business in Houston can be recommended. The identity tag on a recommendation is optional and off by default. You never have to say who you are to be heard.