How we score cafes: methodology

Every cafe on Malaysia Dentist Guide gets a score from 0 to 100. Right now we score 738 cafe businesses in Kuala Lumpur. This page explains what goes into that number, what it can't tell you, and who stands behind it.

Who publishes the rankings

The directory is published by Meridian Guides, which has produced independent city directories for everyday services in Malaysia since 2025, starting with Kuala Lumpur. Janice, Editor, oversees the rankings and how the method is applied. Questions or corrections can go to hello@meridianguides.my.

How the score is built

The composite uses five measured signals. They are listed here from heaviest to lightest.

Signal	Weight	What it measures
Sentiment	28%	Synthesis of recent review themes: praise versus complaints
Rating	26%	Google aggregate star rating
Volume	20%	How many reviews, log-scaled
Recency	16%	How recently customers reviewed
Completeness	10%	Whether phone, website, hours and address are listed

Sentiment (28%)

This carries the most weight because a star average hides patterns. Two cafes can both sit at 4.4 stars. One gets mostly warm comments. The other keeps collecting the same complaint: slow drinks at weekends, a noisy room, staff who ignore laptop-table rules. The average looks the same. Reading what recent reviews actually say is the only way to catch the difference, so we do that and score the balance of praise and repeated complaints.

Rating (26%)

The Google star rating is still a useful summary of how many people left happy. It is heavy, but not the heaviest, because it flattens detail and ages slowly.

Volume (20%)

A 4.8 from nine reviews tells you less than a 4.5 from several hundred. Volume is log-scaled, so going from 5 to 50 reviews counts for a lot, while going from 900 to 1,000 barely moves the score. A handful of reviews never equals hundreds.

Recency (16%)

Cafes change. A new barista, a new owner or a renovation can shift quality within months. Recent reviews count for more than old ones.

Completeness (10%)

If a cafe lists its phone number, website, opening hours and address, you can check it's open and find it before you travel across KL. Missing basics cost points.

What the score can't do

• Low-confidence scores. A business with few recent reviews gets a score, but it is labelled low confidence. Treat it as a rough guide.
• We synthesise, not republish. We summarise review themes in our own words. We link out to Google so you can read the source reviews yourself.
• Reviews are imperfect. They reflect who chose to write, and they can't capture taste. The score suggests where to look first. It doesn't replace a visit.

Scores are never edited

Scores are earned from this rubric and this data only. Nobody adjusts them by hand. Paid placement, when it exists, is always labelled and never changes a score. If a list's picks or order were reviewed by an editor, that list says so on the page itself. For an example of a ranked list, see best specialty coffee.

Keeping data current

We refresh data monthly. Each listing shows a "last verified" stamp, so you can see when it was last checked. If a stamp looks old or a detail is wrong, email hello@meridianguides.my.