An FAQ on Scene's Best of Cleveland Issue and Voting

Scene’s Best of Cleveland is out now Credit: Scene

Hey, I’m a reader/business owner/nominee/person whose browser autofilled to clevescene.com instead of cleveland.com, and I’m now looking at the winners of your Best of Cleveland 2025 issue.

It’s out now! It’s pretty exciting, right?

It is. But I have some questions.

We’re bleary eyed from the production cycle but we have nothing but time and focus for you.

How were these winners chosen?

As in recent years, all the winners were chosen by the readers in a process that started more than a month ago with a nomination round followed by two weeks of finalist voting.

Did you guys publicize this at all?

As best we could! On every available platform and social channel.

I have a friend who used to work in sales/marketing for Scene and they said it’s all a scam, that winners are chosen based on advertising.

Your friend is a liar. Maybe surround yourself with people of substance and you’ll have better questions.

Seems harsh.

That’s the lack of sleep talking.

Try again?

Yeah, sorry. So, we can’t speak to how it’s been run in much earlier eras (maybe you’re friend’s not a liar!), but the winners you see here and in recent years were all chosen by reader vote with no funny business from Scene in any way, shape or form. Even Frank LaRose would vouch for the integrity of the process.

Then why didn’t my favorite place win?

Well, that’s how voting works. Sometimes you watch Bernie Moreno get sworn into office.

Seems like a few places won more than one award, and I don’t think they deserve it.

As politicians would tell you, it’s all about getting out the vote, and specifically getting out your base. That seems to have been key in a few races.

The same place or person appears to be a repeat winner over the years. Don’t you think it’s time for a new winner?

There are no term limits in play here, and we’re not in the business of putting our fingers on the scales (they’re too busy making typos anyway).

Why don’t you do staff picks anymore?

Honestly, two reasons: An incredibly small staff and the fact Cleveland is an enormous city and the public knows far more than we do about most of it.

Huh.

Plus, you’d have objections to whatever winners we picked too.

True.

Look at how harmonious we are.

Well, not entirely. I still have complaints. Who can I lodge them with?

Under the charter of Cleveland, complaints about Scene’s Best of Cleveland issue are to be directed to Signal Cleveland government reporter Nick Castele via email with a subject line of “Hot Chatter Tip.” We, too, were shocked at the level of specificity.

I think we’re done here.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.