Cities aren’t just maps and street names — they’re built from routines, conversations, and the places people return to again and again. The café someone meets friends at every weekend. The shop that remembers your name. The local business that quietly becomes part of daily life.

Best of the City exists to reflect that side of a community.

We’re an independent, community-driven recognition program designed to capture how people engage with the businesses around them — not through promotions or opinions, but through public participation during defined voting periods.

At its best, the program becomes a shared moment: neighbors showing up, conversations happening, and local businesses being noticed because people care enough to participate.

Supporting Local, the Right Way

Local businesses don’t need louder marketing. They need visible community support.

Best of the City was created to provide a neutral space where communities can participate in recognizing the places they value — without turning that recognition into advertising or pay-to-play promotion.

We don’t decide what matters.
We don’t tell people where to vote.
We provide the structure — the community provides the signal.

That separation is intentional. It keeps participation authentic and allows recognition to reflect real engagement rather than curated outcomes.

More Than a Vote — A Shared Experience

Voting on Best of the City isn’t meant to feel transactional. It’s designed to feel familiar — like recommending a place to a friend or participating in a local tradition.

Each voting period creates:

  • A reason to explore local businesses
  • A moment of shared attention within a community
  • A curated snapshot of participation across categories people care about

The result isn’t a permanent ranking or a final judgment. It’s a time-bound reflection of what people showed up for, together.

Over time, these moments add up — creating a living record of community involvement and local culture.

Recognition That Reflects Participation

Recognition on Best of the City is always rooted in:

  • Public participation
  • Defined voting periods
  • Consistent, transparent structure

We don’t evaluate quality or performance. Recognition reflects engagement, not endorsement. It’s a signal of participation during a specific window, in a specific place, shaped entirely by the community involved.

That distinction allows recognition to be meaningful without being overstated — and useful without pretending to be definitive.

Built and Operated with Care

Best of the City is presented by KudosCity, the platform that designs and operates the recognition framework behind the program.

KudosCity’s role is structural, not editorial. We build the systems, define the rules, and maintain consistency so communities can participate confidently — while ensuring recognition remains independent and community-driven.

The spotlight always stays on the community itself.

What Best of the City Stands For

Best of the City is about:

  • Supporting local businesses through genuine participation
  • Strengthening community connection
  • Creating curated, city-specific recognition experiences
  • Preserving trust by keeping recognition independent

It is not about guarantees, endorsements, or outcomes. It’s about giving communities a clear, credible way to show up for the places that shape their everyday lives.

Why It Matters

When communities participate, local businesses benefit — not because of promises or promotion, but because attention is a form of support.

Best of the City exists to make that participation visible, organized, and repeatable — while keeping the process honest and the meaning intact.

In the end, recognition isn’t something we assign.
It’s something communities create together.

Join the Community

Best of the City only works when communities participate.

Whether you’re a local business owner, a regular customer, or someone who simply cares about the places that make your city feel like home, participation is what shapes the experience.

If you’re a business owner, you can add or claim your business to ensure your information is accurate and your location is represented clearly during voting periods.

If you’re a community member, you can add a favorite local business that deserves to be included in the conversation.

Adding a business doesn’t influence recognition or outcomes — it simply helps create a more complete, organized view of the local landscape so participation can happen fairly and openly.

Best of the City is built one community at a time, through shared involvement and local pride.
If a place matters to you, this is where it belongs.