This is down to the Criteria.
You should probably read up on it before making any more nominations.
Chain businesses are usually Rejected as you say they are not cultural significant unless you can state it has something different to all the other Starbucks.
Play grounds meet all 3 of the big criteria…
Encourages Socialising, Exercising and Exploring without meeting any of the Reject reasons.
The truth of the matter is when someone states they are getting all their nominations rejected it is usually down to the submitter and not the reviewers.
Welcome to the forum.
Starbucks is a chain that is normally rejected for “Generic business,” which comes up with the rejection reason you described. It is possible to make a case for a specific Starbucks to be a Wayspot, but it is very difficult to convince of the significance to the community, as you have discovered. Art inside a Starbucks or a mural on the outside of one could be eligible if it isn’t just corporate art: Unique Art
Starbucks often have sponsored locations, which is why you see a lot of them in game. These do not go through the regular Wayfarer process.
Playgrounds meet criteria, as long as they don’t meet location ineligibility. A wayspot only has to meet one of a great place to exercise, explore, or be social, and they normally meet all three. Even playgrounds inside a chain restaurant can meet criteria.
Playgrounds should be submitted all in one piece. Playgrounds on school or single family private residential property should be rejected: Playgrounds
Here is a link you can bookmark explaining criteria.
Ah ha - thank you Cyndie
I didn’t realize that the Starbucks locations were sponsored. I just thought it was a great place to meet up away from the weather and all smells that train stations have. I will keep other things in mind if I try again.
Yep, my local hospitals have multiple poke stops inside. But I too have noticed some really weird stuff. I’ve had a lot of stops denied and they never give any reason. I request a second check and nothing ever happens. It’s a shame because my town doesn’t have many stops so I’m trying to help grow it. Oddly enough we used to have a stop at a McDonald’s here and now it’s gone. There’s a stop for a target, but they denied my submissions for a UPS and Dierbergs in the same plaza. It makes no sense at all. Super frustrating.
Hello. You’ve found the place where we can explain it. McDonald’s was a sponsored stop. That means they paid to have that show up in Pokemon GO. It did not go through the Wayfarer process. You can identify those by the small pink bumps on the stand part of the pokestop and by the tag that says “Sponsored” on the spinner.
A McDonald’s doesn’t meet normal Wayfarer criteria because it is a chain fast food restaurant.
Target has also had sponsorship deals off and on, sometimes in collaboration with another sponser, Starbucks.
When you submit a place, be sure you can explain how it is either a great place to be social, exercise, or explore…completely indepently of any game. It needs to be a place you would do this if the games never existed. Going shopping can be a social experience, but it has to be a special kind of store for that.
McDonald’s was a sponsored location for a while. Target is currently a sponsored location.
Here is a link you can bookmark with the criteria. There are four pages to read.
I hope this helps ease your frustration. You can’t just go by what you see in game.