Not every good place is worth a Vouch. A Vouch puts your name behind a recommendation, so it helps to have a simple test. Here is the one we would use ourselves.
The return test
Have you gone back without being asked, or would you happily go again next week? One great meal or one great haircut can be luck. A habit is evidence.
If you have only been once, it is worth waiting. First impressions are real, but they can be flattering, especially when a place is new and everyone is on their best behaviour. A second and third visit show you what the place is like when nobody is trying to impress you.
The consistency test
Does it feel the same on a quiet Tuesday as on a busy Saturday? Spots that hold their standard when nobody is watching are the ones worth sending friends to.
This is hard to judge from one visit, which is another reason the return test comes first. If you have seen the place on a good day and a rough one and still felt looked after, that is worth a lot.
The welcome test
Look at how the people there treat you. Whether it is a restaurant, a salon or a cafe, the feeling of being welcomed is part of the product. It is hard to fake and easy to recognize.
Pay attention to small things: whether someone looks up when you walk in, whether a mistake is handled kindly, whether regulars are greeted by name. These details tell you how the place treats people, which is how it will treat your friend.
The fit test
Know what it is good for. Some Spots are perfect for a quick lunch and wrong for a long dinner. A Vouch that says what a place is good for is more useful than a general thumbs up.
Try finishing the sentence "I would send you here for...". If you can complete it easily, you know the place well. If you cannot, you may not be ready to recommend it yet.
The bad day test
Finally, ask whether you would be comfortable if your friend had a bad day there. Everything goes wrong somewhere eventually: a slow kitchen, a mixed-up booking, a tired team. If the answer is yes, because you trust the place to put it right, that is a Spot worth Vouching for.
If the answer is no, because you suspect the place would shrug, that is useful to know too. You can still enjoy it yourself without putting your name behind it.
What not to Vouch for
A few things should make you hesitate. A place you like mainly because you know the owner, a place you have heard about but not visited, and a place you are recommending mainly because of a Reward. None of these is wrong to enjoy. They are just not strong reasons to put your name behind a Vouch.
Why this matters
A Vouch is only worth something if the people who receive it can trust it. Every Vouch you give carefully makes the next one stronger. Every one you give carelessly makes the others a little weaker.
That is true with or without an app. The test is simple, and it works for a text message to a friend as well as it does for anything else: would you stand behind this place, on a quiet Tuesday and on a bad day?