The preview uses test data
Venues and totals in this local preview are examples created for testing. Do not treat them as current facts about real venues.
Directory inclusion
Bars.co.uk starts with Food Standards Agency food hygiene data. We select records with the official business type Pub/bar/nightclub.
A venue cannot pay to be added. Claiming a page or joining the venue standard does not affect inclusion.
This data does not prove that a venue serves alcohol, follows a certain style or has a current premises licence. The Food Standards Agency data is about food hygiene. It is not a UK register of alcohol licences.
Find the files
Each night, we ask the Food Standards Agency for its current list of data files.
Check the data
We check the source, food hygiene scheme, file structure and coverage. We stop the update if a large amount of data unexpectedly disappears.
Choose records
We include only records with the exact Food Standards Agency business type Pub/bar/nightclub.
Publish
We publish the complete checked update. Every field keeps its source label and date.
Identity and continuity
Each public page has a permanent Bars.co.uk ID. We use source IDs, names, addresses and update history to check that the page still belongs to the same venue.
We review a move, ownership change or major identity change. We do not silently move a claim or standard result to another venue. A clearer display name never replaces the official source name. Both keep their source labels.
Geography
Area pages use official or statistical area codes. We normally match a venue to an area using its postcode and a dated postcode map.
We do not guess when a match is uncertain. If an official area name or boundary changes, old links send people to the one current page.
How the venue standard score works
The yearly standard has five score areas worth 20 points each. Each area has four questions. Yes scores 5, Partly scores 3 and No scores 0. An approved Does not apply answer removes that question, then the area is still worked out as a score out of 20.
Evidence can lead an auditor to change an answer. It never adds bonus points. A venue needs at least 70 out of 100 overall, at least 10 out of 20 in every score area and all required declarations.
We always say whether a result is self-certified or independently audited.
Leaderboards
Only current results that meet the published rules can appear in a ranking. Audited and self-certified venues are kept in separate groups.
We sort by total score, from highest to lowest. If two venues have the same total, we compare their lowest score area. Venues that are still tied share the same rank. A group with fewer than five venues shows no numbered rank.
Payment, page visits, report numbers, private feedback and our own preferences never affect a position. Each saved annual ranking shows the data date, method version, venues that met the rules and source totals.
Corrections and change control
Each published field keeps its source and date. Food Standards Agency changes appear after the next checked update. A verified operator can correct information from the venue. We work out Bars.co.uk calculations again from the saved information.
We add a correction note when an important change affects older published information.