The Grate Guide

This is the whole system in one line. Everything below is how each audience lives it.

Most rating systems reward volume. Grate is built the other way around: recognition should be rare and meaningful. When a customer recognizes a provider, that recognition becomes a permanent record. When enough of the provider’s Recognition meets Grate’s quality standard, the provider earns a Badge. Organizations see the aggregate result without wading through individual reviews.

Recognition is intended to be immutable. Badges are quality-weighted rather than counted, so many low-quality inputs earn nothing. Grate makes what it measures public while keeping how it weighs those signals confidential so the system cannot be reverse-engineered or gamed.

Giving recognition. After a genuine service interaction, tap or scan the Grate QR code on a sign, plaque, or band. No app is required. The recognition page identifies the location and Provider; confirm that they match, describe what stood out, and submit.

If an optional tip is offered, the draft Guide expects it to move through an established payment provider rather than through Grate. Take a moment before submitting: Recognition is permanent, and visibility of your name depends on applicable settings.

What you may and may not do. Follow the Golden Rule. Recognize only service you personally experienced. Never accept anything in exchange for Recognition and never give it to yourself or an undisclosed related party. Report any request to trade a discount, gift, favor, or other benefit for Recognition.

Scanning safely. A genuine Grate code opens an address beginning with https://alwaysgrate.com/. If the address is different, the location or Provider does not match, or the page asks for a download, app installation, login, or card number, stop and report it.

Your record. Recognition cannot be edited or deleted after submission. If you submit in error, contact trust@alwaysgrate.com; Grate may annotate the record while preserving its history.

Claiming your profile. A Provider claims one Provider profile through secure access. Final screen names and authentication details must match the released product.

Receiving Recognition. You are notified when a customer recognizes you and can view Recognition given to you. Neither you nor the Customer can edit, hide, or delete the record.

Earning Badges. Badges are issued automatically when Recognition meets Grate’s confidential quality standard. There is no application or fee, and nobody can be asked to award one. The only legitimate path is consistently excellent service that customers choose to recognize.

Sharing Badges. Use Grate’s official sharing tools, artwork, and links so others can verify your record. Do not copy artwork onto independent signage or merchandise, or commission plaques or bands yourself.

Plaques and bands. Grate may issue an Artifact when eligibility is met. Display it as issued. If it is lost, damaged, or appears tampered with, contact trust@alwaysgrate.com; do not repair, reprint, or cover the QR code.

Consent and revocation. Providers control what an associated Organization may see, with aggregate access as the intended default. Badges may be revoked for integrity or policy breaches; revoked Artifacts must be removed from display.

What you see. Organizations receive aggregate analytics for associated Providers, such as Recognition volume over time, Badge attainment, and comparative signals across teams or locations. Individual Recognition text requires Provider consent. Analytics are for internal use and may not be resold, published, or shared with third parties.

Associating Providers. Providers must accept an Organization association. A Provider may later leave; their historical Recognition remains theirs.

Using data responsibly. Grate analytics are a signal, not a verdict. Because Recognition is rare by design, a low count does not mean underperformance. Organizations remain responsible for employment decisions and legal compliance and must not retaliate against Providers for Recognition activity or good-faith reporting.

Artifacts on your premises. Scan Grate signs, plaques, and bands at your locations. Genuine codes open alwaysgrate.com. Remove and report anything that does not scan or opens another destination. Do not repair or reprint QR codes yourself.

Grate monitors coordinated, inauthentic, and anomalous activity and acts on community reports. Report suspected fraud, imitation platforms, misuse of Grate Marks or Badges, or suspicious Artifacts and QR codes to trust@alwaysgrate.com or through the reporting action on a Grate page.

Grate protects good-faith reporters. Knowingly false reports are a violation. Confirmed violations may lead to removal or annotation of Recognition, Badge revocation, Artifact return, account suspension or termination, notification to affected parties, civil remedies, or referral to authorities.

Grate’s platform, methodology, and quality-weighting model are proprietary to AIDE Global LLC and are the subject of pending patent applications in the United States and under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. GRATE™ and the Grate logo are trademarks of AIDE Global LLC, with applications pending. Software, interface, Badge artwork, and content are protected by copyright.

Read the full Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and FAQ. Trust reports may be sent to trust@alwaysgrate.com; legal correspondence may be sent to legal@alwaysgrate.com.