Good morning, Toledo!

When I purchased The Toledo Dispatch, one of my biggest goals wasn't just to report on what makes Toledo special, it was to celebrate it.

Our city has an incredible collection of locally owned restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, and neighborhood favorites that deserve more than a quick social media post or an online star rating. They deserve thoughtful recognition from people who genuinely care about our community.

That's why today, I'm excited to officially introduce three new initiatives that will become a regular part of The Toledo Dispatch:

These aren't paid rankings or popularity contests. Every feature is built around firsthand visits and evaluations that consider the complete experience, from quality and service to atmosphere, consistency, originality, and overall value.

At the end of each year, the highest-rated restaurants and breweries will earn a place among The Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide's Best, recognizing the businesses that truly define our local food and craft beer scene.

Toledo has long deserved a trusted local food guide. I'm proud that The Toledo Dispatch will be the first to create one.

Welcome to The Bridge Guide. Let's discover Toledo's best, one bridge at a time.

For years, cities across the country have had trusted food guides that help residents and visitors discover the very best local restaurants. Toledo has never had one.

That's changing today.

The Bridge Guide is the first dedicated food and brewery guide created specifically for the Toledo area. Throughout the year, our team will visit and feature local restaurants and breweries, evaluating each business through our signature five-bridge rating system. Our goal is simple: recognize the businesses that consistently deliver exceptional experiences while creating a trusted resource for our readers.

Unlike online reviews, the Bridge Guide is designed to evaluate the entire experience, not just one meal or one opinion. Every featured restaurant and brewery will be rated across several categories, including:

Each establishment will receive a rating of one to five bridges.

1 Bridge – Worth a visit
2 Bridges – A solid local choice
3 Bridges – Highly recommended
4 Bridges – Among Toledo's best
5 Bridges – An exceptional destination and one of the very best experiences in Northwest Ohio

The Bridge Guide isn't intended to tear businesses down—it exists to celebrate the restaurants and breweries that make Toledo's food scene special while encouraging residents to explore somewhere new.

Each December, The Toledo Dispatch will publish its annual Bridge Guide Rankings, recognizing the highest-rated restaurants and breweries featured throughout the year. The Restaurant of the Year and Brewery of the Year will each receive an official Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide plaque, honoring them as the year's top-rated establishment and giving them something they can proudly display for their customers.

Our hope is that, over time, earning Bridges becomes a symbol of excellence that both local businesses and Toledo residents recognize and trust.

Every month, The Toledo Dispatch will recognize one outstanding local restaurant by welcoming them into the Restaurant of the Month Club.

More than just a featured article, the Restaurant of the Month Club is a growing collection of restaurants that have earned recognition for providing exceptional food, service, and overall dining experiences. Every restaurant selected will receive an in-depth feature in The Toledo Dispatch, allowing our readers to learn the story behind the business, discover what makes it unique, and find out why it deserves a visit.

Once a restaurant becomes our Restaurant of the Month, it becomes a permanent member of the Restaurant of the Month Club. Throughout the year, our club will continue to grow as we highlight some of the very best locally owned restaurants across Northwest Ohio.

Readers will also know when they've found a Restaurant of the Month by looking for our official Restaurant of the Month Club poster proudly displayed inside each featured establishment. It's our way of recognizing restaurants that have been selected by The Toledo Dispatch and giving diners an easy way to identify businesses that have earned a place in the club.

At the end of each year, every Restaurant of the Month Club member will also be eligible for recognition in the Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide, with the highest-rated restaurant being named Restaurant of the Year.

We're proud to announce that the first-ever member of the Restaurant of the Month Club is Home Slice Pizza in downtown Toledo. A longtime favorite known for its creative pizzas, welcoming atmosphere, and late-night dining, Home Slice set the standard for what this club represents.

The Restaurant of the Month Club is our way of celebrating the businesses that make Toledo's food scene one of the best parts of our community. We can't wait to continue adding new members and sharing their stories with our readers.

Northwest Ohio is home to a thriving craft beer scene, filled with breweries that are passionate about their craft and committed to creating unique experiences for their communities. The Toledo Dispatch Brewery of the Month Club was created to recognize those breweries and introduce our readers to the people and stories behind them.

Each month, The Toledo Dispatch will select one local brewery to join the Brewery of the Month Club. Every featured brewery will receive an in-depth article highlighting its history, atmosphere, signature beers, and what makes it stand out. Whether you're a longtime craft beer enthusiast or someone looking to visit a new brewery for the first time, these monthly features are designed to help you discover the best of Northwest Ohio's brewing community.

Once a brewery is selected as our Brewery of the Month, it becomes a permanent member of the Brewery of the Month Club. Over the course of each year, the club will continue to grow as we recognize breweries that are making a lasting impact on our local craft beer scene.

When visiting a featured brewery, readers can look for the official Brewery of the Month Club poster proudly displayed inside the establishment. The poster signifies that the brewery has been recognized by The Toledo Dispatch and welcomed into an exclusive group of outstanding local breweries.

Every Brewery of the Month Club member will also be evaluated through the Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide and become eligible for our annual rankings. Each December, one brewery will earn the title of Brewery of the Year, receiving an official Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide plaque to proudly display in its taproom.

We're excited to announce that the first-ever member of the Brewery of the Month Club is 60cc Brewing in Toledo. Known for its welcoming neighborhood atmosphere, thoughtfully crafted beers, and unique Czech-style Lukr side-pour tap, 60cc Brewing represents exactly what this club is designed to celebrate.

The Brewery of the Month Club is about more than great beer—it's about recognizing the breweries that bring people together, support our local communities, and continue to shape Northwest Ohio's growing craft beer culture. We look forward to welcoming many more outstanding breweries into the club in the years to come.

As The Toledo Dispatch continues to grow, so does our commitment to showcasing the people and businesses that make Northwest Ohio such a special place to live, work, and explore. The Bridge Guide, Restaurant of the Month Club, and Brewery of the Month Club are just the beginning of that commitment. We hope these initiatives encourage readers to try somewhere new, support local businesses, and take even greater pride in the incredible food and craft beer scene we have right here in our own backyard.

This is a community-driven project, and we'd love your input. If there's a restaurant or brewery you think deserves to be featured, we'd love to hear from you. Please send your recommendations to [email protected]. While we can't guarantee every suggestion will be featured, every recommendation will be considered as we continue exploring Northwest Ohio's incredible food and craft beer scene.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your readership, recommendations, and support are what make projects like these possible. We can't wait to share more great local stories, recognize outstanding businesses, and continue building something Toledo can be proud of.

Here's to discovering new favorites, celebrating local excellence, and building The Toledo Dispatch Bridge Guide, one bridge at a time.

Well that’s all for now, thanks for reading.

Hope you have a great week!

Sincerely, Eli