I just got another frustrating appeal rejection after an already frustrating AI rejection. The location in question is a paint and sip business which hosts painting classes and events for all sorts of groups and age ranges, as well as just walk-in painting hours. This is all verifiable from the link to their website I included in the appeal. If this type of establishment doesn’t meet socialization criteria I am not sure what would.
In general, it’s a huge pain that when you have to appeal AI rejections you have to shadowbox against what you think it thought the issue was, because it will not tell you.
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I have submitted places like this. They are great places to be social and explore. I believe this appeal decision is incorrect and, if there are no other issues with the nomination, I hope you will be receiving an new email accepting it.
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It does look like a great socialising experience.
The one question mark over it, is that there are 240 locations, as a franchised business.
Some states have quite a lot and others just the odd one. Would this be considered not distinct??
As a combination of art and social I would be in favour and in the U.K. 240 locations would be a lot.
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Why does it matter how many there are? It is a great place to be social and explore art, so it is not a generic business with no relevance to criteria.
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I personally like it and if I had it to review would be voting in favour, but it’s the only thing I could think of that might have made it questionable, and hence the rejection.
Presumably there is a tipping point ( use your judgement) where something stops being a distinct place and becomes a chain.
A local coffee shop is a place with food and socialisation but it is part of a chain, so I dont submit it.
As a U.K. person 240 locations would certainly feel not unique, which is why I gave it that context.
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This place offers classes and events, which means it meets the criteria for being social and exploring through a creative activity by design.
A chain coffee shop would not inherently meet criteria, because it is just a place that you can be social, not a place with designated opportunities for doing so, even if it is a nice place to meet up. And there is nothing to explore, like a new skill, at a chain coffee shop.
Chain gyms are acceptable and accepted on appeal because they meet the criteria for exercise. Being a chain does not matter when a business inherently meets criteria.
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I’m so sorry this was rejected on appeal, it looks like a brilliant place to socialise and I also think a place where people meet to create artwork would link to explore.
Personally I think generic business (ie the issue of how many there are) doesn’t apply here, since the business strongly links to criteria - a little like chain gyms which are a great place to exercise and the size of the business and how many sites there are is irrelevant.
I hope that staff see this and overturn this incorrect appeal decision. 
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In my view a cafe is designed to be social. Maybe cafes in U.K. are different
But I don’t think we disagree on this particular case.
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There is definitely a judgement call with “chains”.
The obvious is McDonalds, when you are there there are definitely groups of people that are socialising. There maybe a person alone that has just called in but these are a minority.
Socialising = Yes
Chain = Not Distinct = No.
I hadn’t considered the chain business element, usually something being a chain hasn’t given me trouble if it’s still hitting the criteria and it has good documentation and local relevance.
I haven’t had any businesses pulled into appeals before this so I don’t know what they’re looking at compared to the reviewers around here.
I notice the appeal reviewer gave a reason for it not being accepted which the AI doesn’t do. I wonder if they get the reason the AI didn’t like it or if they are just given the nomination with a blank slate and told to look for issues on their own.
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The rejection criteria says “A generic business, chain, or franchise that is not locally unique”, it is definitely locally unique. There’s just not that many of these types of places around, even counting the ones which are pottery based.
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I strongly believe they see what the community decision was for community rejections, so it makes sense they see what the AI said, but that may simply be “reject”.
Generally the appeal reviewer sticks with the initial decision unless there was a clear error.
(This business bypasses the “generic business” rejection by virtue of the business being inherently eligible, just as chain gyms are.)
I had a pottery painting place accepted on appeal by providing an instagram post by a local television station that calls the place a “favorite hangout spot in the city” but I think that should not be a requirement if the place clearly meets criteria
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I agree. This is the only one in Pittsburg, with only 13 in the whole of Pennsylvania.
There are other places with 10 in one city.
The people on the website landing page certainly seem to be having a great time 
so socialising is certainly what this is about for me.
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Most coffee cafes in my state like Starbucks have a Pokémon gym.
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Starbucks is a sponsored location
If its still teaching art and the like, id be for it even if it was a franchise, its like how niantic accepts chain gyms, they still meet the criteria and seem to be OK with overriding the chain rejection.
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