To qualify for the Overall Excellence Award, restaurants must receive positive industry or customer recognition and must be in business a minimum of two years, except for those qualifying in the Top Rising Star micro-category. Restaurant menus also must consist of at least 50 percent Chinese cuisine, except for those qualifying in the Asian Restaurants micro-category. The final results are tabulated with Mystery Diner's scores from an independent third party and direct votes from the public at large. The top 100 highest-scoring restaurants from across 10 micro-categories achieve the Overall Excellence Award. These award-winning restaurants demonstrate the highest standards of cuisine, décor, service and cleanliness.
