It has always been my intention that this website be available free of charge. I never want to put it behind a paywall (in part due to the fear that no one would pay). And thanks to the many sponsors whose banners you see on these pages, I won’t have to.

As you know, I have a very strict advertising policy (and if you don’t know that, you can read it here). And if you think that’s all just talk, Nicole Spooner of Mpact Orlando Marketing – the sole authorized advertising representative for SJO – can tell you how many potential advertisers are turned down each year simply because they don’t qualify (and how many over the years were not asked to renew when their quality flagged). It’s a promise I made to you when I began this project nearly 14 years ago: The ads you see here are only for businesses I recommend.

The restaurants want to advertise here because they know that you, the readers, are savvy and discerning customers. Please take a moment to look at the banners, and the next time you visit one of these restaurants, tell them that you saw their ad on Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide. They’ll appreciate it and so will I.

Operating a website, especially one dedicated to restaurant reviews, is a costly endeavor. I don’t have a printing press or the costs of physical delivery, but there are internet hosting fees, maintenance costs and software updates. Plus, no other publication in Central Florida offers an average of two restaurant reviews each week. That costs money. The advertising fees make it possible.

And many of you do, too, through your generous contributions to support our journalism. If you’ve been steered to a new dining experience, saved from wasting your money at an unworthy spot, enlightened by restaurant news or just entertained while reading, I hope you’ll consider supporting us with a donation.

Thanks also to my webmaster, David Clow, who keeps the site up and running and who always responds to my calls for help when something goes wrong. (If you’ve never owned a website, believe me, something is always going wrong.)

I’m looking forward to an exciting year of restaurant news and reviews and I hope you’ll come along with me, no walls between us.

Happy New Year.