Disclosure Policy
Transparency about how we make money and how it does (and doesn't) affect our editorial.
Our Commitment
ChicagoDelish is an ad-free publication. We believe our readers deserve honest coverage without the visual clutter and conflicts of interest that come with display advertising. We sustain ourselves through affiliate links and selective sponsored partnerships, and we are fully transparent about both.
Affiliate Links
Some pages on ChicagoDelish contain affiliate links. When you click one of these links and make a purchase or reservation, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Our affiliate relationships currently include:
- Restaurant reservations — Links to OpenTable, Resy, and similar booking platforms
- Event tickets — Links to Eventbrite and other ticketing services
- Product recommendations — Links to Amazon for kitchen tools, cookbooks, and other products mentioned in our content
Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial decisions. We choose which restaurants to review, which events to cover, and which products to recommend based entirely on merit. We will never recommend something we wouldn't genuinely recommend to a friend.
Sponsored Reviews
Occasionally, a restaurant or brand will pay to have their establishment reviewed on ChicagoDelish. When this happens, a label appears in the article header alongside the date and rating:
Key principles for sponsored content:
- Sponsored reviews are always disclosed in the article header before any editorial content
- Our editorial team retains full control of all opinions and content in sponsored reviews
- Sponsors cannot preview, edit, or approve the review before publication
- If a sponsored experience is disappointing, we say so — a paid review can still be a negative review
- We limit sponsored content to maintain the trust of our readers
Complimentary Meals
The majority of our restaurant visits are paid for out of our own pockets, anonymously and without the restaurant's knowledge. Sometimes, however, a restaurant provides a complimentary meal to our contributors without any payment or editorial obligations. When this happens, the review is marked similarly:
A complimentary meal is not a sponsorship. No money changes hands, and the restaurant has no influence over the review. We disclose it because you deserve to know.
One thing we always pay for: the tip. When a meal is comped, we tip generously on what the full bill would have been. We strongly believe in tipping your friendly and deserving wait staff well — they work hard, and a complimentary meal for us should never come at their expense.
Gifted Products
We sometimes receive products — cookbooks, kitchen tools, pantry items, and the like — whether sent to us or requested for review. If we write about a gifted product, we'll note it in the article. Receiving a product does not guarantee coverage, and our opinion is never for sale. Products we don't find genuinely useful simply don't get mentioned.
FTC Compliance
Our disclosure practices are designed to meet the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. If you believe we have missed a disclosure anywhere on the site, please contact us at hello@chicagodelish.com and we will correct it immediately.
Questions?
If you have any questions about our disclosure practices, reach us at hello@chicagodelish.com.
Last updated: March 17, 2026