Genuinely independent restaurant reviews, owned by the bank whose card perks they feed.
What it's really for Independent anonymous restaurant criticism, owned by the bank whose card perks it feeds.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its staff restaurant reviews and city guides, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
- Operating since
- 2009 (17 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- It makes money through brand partnerships and sponsored/branded content, paid live events (EEEEEATSCON, "presented by Chase Sapphire"), a $49/year membership, and as a wholly-owned subsidiary that drives diners to its owner JPMorgan Chase's card and dining products.
- What they do
- It publishes opinionated restaurant reviews and "best of" city guides written by staff critics who dine anonymously and pay for their own meals.
- What to watch for
- The individual reviews are genuinely independent, but the site is owned by JPMorgan Chase and its "best" lists double as inventory for Chase Sapphire Reserve dining perks, so the picks skew toward reservation-taking, photogenic, mid-to-high-price spots a cardholder would book rather than the absolute best cheap or walk-in food.
- Composite score
- 3.40 / 5.00 → grade B
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- The Infatuation's own about page states: "We never accept free meals, reservations, compensation, or special treatment of any kind from any restaurants. Everything is paid for via our very own pockets," and "Our team always dines anonymously under excellent aliases" before publishing. It also confirms "In 2021, we were acquired by JPMorgan Chase & Co." and is now "a wholly owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase." Source: The Infatuation - About / Methodology & Ethics →
- JPMorgan Chase's press release confirms The Infatuation was founded in 2009 by Chris Stang and Andrew Steinthal and that Chase acquired it to "accelerate its investment in dining experiences" and connect customers with "exceptional benefits, useful content and one-of-a-kind experiences, at scale." Source: JPMorgan Chase newsroom - acquisition announcement →
- Chase's own guide explains the Sapphire Reserve "Exclusive Tables" program offers cardholders prime-time reservations and up to $300/year in statement credits at restaurants "carefully selected" with The Infatuation, Visa and OpenTable — showing the editorial lists are repurposed as paid card-perk inventory tied to the parent bank. Source: Chase - Guide to Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables →