History and Facts was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1990 with the goal of raising dining standards and promoting fine dining throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. continues to uphold its mission today by serving as the authority for recognizing and promoting excellence in dining. In 1992, the Award was launched to recognize restaurants exemplifying the highest quality standards in all aspects of the dining experience. The Award is valid for a four-year period. During that period the restaurant is re-inspected and if it passes, the Award is renewed for another four years. ’s Inspection Program is the only independent and anonymous restaurant inspection program in North America backed by a money-back, fine dining guarantee. restaurants are not determined by guidebook editors or word-of-mouth reviews. There are currently only 800 restaurants that have been named as Distinction recipients. A comprehensive list of members can be found in The Guide to Distinguished Restaurants of North America, published annually, or on ’s Web site, www.dirona.org.  The Inspection Process In order to qualify for a Distinction, a restaurant must be in business under the same ownership and concept for at least three years and pass the anonymous inspection process. The criteria restaurants are rated on are: quality of physical property, environment and décor; quality of cuisine; quality of beverages; and service. A restaurant’s menu is examined for things such as variety of items, creativity and health and nutrition-related items. The food itself is evaluated based on temperature, appearance and quality of ingredients. To ensure integrity and independence in the inspection process, established a Quality Assurance Committee, which manages ’s independently contracted inspection firm and the Distinguished Dining Advisory Council. The Council is comprised of key media who are responsible for recommending restaurants for inspection and reviewing inspection requests. Restaurants are chosen for inspection based on reputation, awards history and recommendations. The anonymous inspection process is conducted by a team of specially trained, independent inspectors.