Customer Score
Confidence-weighted approved customer rating.
Scout Score™ is a transparent 100-point framework combining approved customer evidence, review confidence, recent performance, consistency, official hygiene data and verified information.
Scout Score™ is built on a 100-point framework. Customer opinion carries the greatest single weighting, while the remaining components strengthen confidence, recency, consistency, hygiene and information quality.
Confidence-weighted approved customer rating.
More approved reviews progressively increase confidence.
Recency-weighted approved review performance once at least five approved reviews exist.
Measures reliability across the underlying customer evidence.
Official UK food-hygiene data where securely matched, using FHRS numeric ratings or Scotland's FHIS outcomes.
Useful, complete and verified customer-facing information.
Takeaway Scout does not simply convert a displayed star average directly into 40 points. Approved customer ratings are confidence-weighted against the review benchmark for that takeaway's local market. This means a very small review sample is not treated with the same confidence as an established review history.
Adjusted rating = (n ÷ (n + 25) × takeaway average) + (25 ÷ (n + 25) × local market average)
Customer Score = (Adjusted rating ÷ 5) × 40
n is the number of approved reviews. Where a market has no usable review benchmark, the scoring engine uses a neutral 4.0 benchmark.Four supporting streams strengthen the customer score without overpowering it. Each has a defined role, a maximum contribution and clear activation rules.
More approved reviews progressively increase confidence in the customer evidence. There is no sudden jump at a single review count.
Once five approved reviews exist, newer experiences carry more influence while older qualifying reviews still contribute.
Consistency measures how tightly approved customer ratings cluster. Lower variation indicates a more dependable experience.
Securely matched official UK food-hygiene evidence contributes up to 15 points. Official results remain displayed using the authority's own wording.
Each Takeaway Scout review collects structured customer evidence. Reviews only feed into public scoring after moderation and approval.
For the direct signals: Yes = 5; Mostly/Maybe = 3; No = 1.
This component rewards reliable customer-facing information. Paying for a listing does not add Scout Score points.
A listing with fewer than five approved reviews is marked Provisional. Customer Score and Review Confidence begin responding from the first approved review, but the confidence adjustment deliberately limits the influence of a very small sample. Recent Performance and Consistency activate at five approved reviews. At five approved reviews the takeaway becomes Full and can participate ahead of Provisional and New listings in the full competitive ranking.
1–4 approved reviews. Customer Score and Review Confidence can contribute with strong confidence controls, while Recent Performance and Consistency remain inactive until 5 approved reviews.
At least 5 approved reviews. All six evidence streams can contribute where qualifying source data exists. Full listings are ranked ahead of Provisional and New listings, then by Scout Score from highest to lowest.
Enhanced profiles, subscriptions, advertising and featured placements are commercial visibility products. They do not purchase additional Scout Score points and do not secretly move a lower-scoring takeaway above a higher-scoring takeaway in results represented as organic Scout Score rankings.