Nomination to Raleigh's Best Online

Criterion

The nomination process to be considered as one of Raleigh's Best Online is open to all businesses who meet the following criterion:

  • The organization must be a privately-owned business with a valid Raleigh, North Carolina business license, and with ownership and management substantially concentrated in Raleigh, North Carolina.

  • Governmental agencies, not-for-profit groups, philanthropic and charitable organizations, hospitals and physicians, public schools and other public educational institutions, sports clubs and teams, certain professional groups including attorneys  and CPAs, and advertising agencies and public relations firms are not eligible for nomination.

  • The business must have  a physical location that is regularly accessible to member of the general public during normal business hours.

  • The business bust be readily classifiable into one of the following categories: restaurants and food, shopping, fitness and recreation, nightlife and entertainment, hotels, automotive, and health and beauty. We regret we cannot evaluate businesses outside of these areas at this time.

 


Nominating

Nominations may not be made by the business being nominated, or by those directly involved in managing or owning the business.

Where possible, we prefer to receive nominations anonymously, but this is not a requirement. In no case will the identity of the person nominating a business be known to anyone other than office staff who receive nominating emails or physical mail. All information about the nominator is removed as soon as possible and no record is kept of the nominator's identity.

Nominators are not notified of the receipt of their nomination to preserve the anonymity of the process, nor will they receive any other communication for the evaluation body.

Nominations may be made at any time of the year, and the title (if any) earned will be valid for a period of 12 months from the time of the award.

Previous winners of the Raleigh's Best designation are eligible for re-nomination, but such is not automatic. The same processes shall apply on renomination as apply with initial nomination.


To nominate a business, please do the following:

  • Send a letter of 1,000 words or less including:

  • The name and address of the business being nominated

  • The address of the business' web site

  • A brief and objective description of what the business does without the use of flowery prose or superlatives

  • A narrative of why the nominator believes this business rises to the level of Raleigh's Best including superior products and services and surprising customer service. A nominator should feel free to use as much passion as they feel justified in arguing for a nominee's inclusion.

Nominations my be submitted by email at: nominate@raleighsbestonline.com

or

by physical mail to:

Raleigh's Best Online
3221 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612



Evaluation

Nominations are reviewed by the appropriate Raleigh's Best Online committee and there is a separate committee for each major area we evaluate. Those nominations meeting the nominating criterion and considered promising based on the original nominating letter are further investigated using several public and private sources. These include sources such as web searches, Better Business Bureau inquiries, City of Raleigh and Wake County records, Dunn & Bradstreet and State of North Carolina Records.

Businesses are immediately disqualified for findings such as, but not limited to, past or pending criminal or civil charges, bankruptcy, open BBB complaints, and city and county compliance violations.

If the business has met  the necessary criterion to this point, committee members will separately make two anonymous site visits to the business to see the organization in operation first-hand. The business will not be aware of the evaluator's mission and the evaluator may pose as a customer, diner, client or other patron. At no time will this activity interfere unduly with the nominee's business nor cost the nominee in any way. If an expense must be incurred during the evaluation process (say the purchase of a meal or drink) the evaluators will pay full retail price to the unsuspecting nominee.



Selection

A report of the evaluator's experiences is made to the entire Raleigh's Best Online organization and a vote taken to determine if the business has met the high standards that warrant the Raleigh's Best designation.

On passing a final vote the business notified of their nomination and award. THe notification is usually made by Certified or Registered First-Class Mail in a package that includes a letter of congratulations, an explanation of the Raleigh's Best Online organization, the award certificate, and a digital copy of Raleigh's Best Online artwork. When a business is notified that they have earned the right to be called Raleigh's Best, they also receive a listing on our website, and the right to use the Raleigh's Best Online designation and artwork in their own promotional and marketing materials. This is all provided to the recipient free of any charge or obligation.

Of course, a recipient has the right to refuse this recognition if so desired.