The DiRoNA Award of Excellence is bestowed upon North American fine dining establishments that are fortunate to pass a rigorous and anonymous inspection process. The evaluation includes a seventy-five point evaluation criteria developed by Cornell University.

To be elgible, restaurants must be in operation for a minimum of three years under the same ownership and restaurant theme. The inspection team is comprised of specially trained inspectors that are unknown to the DiRoNA Board and Membership.

The evaluation scrutinizes every aspect of the dining experience from reservation through departure including environment, cuisine, wine, property, decor and service. The award of excellence is earned by the distinquished restaurants that pass the comprehensive evaluation.

To date, fewer than 800 fine dining establishments have earned the distinction. Award winners must be re-inspected every four years to maintain the award. Most of the Prime Time Top 10 Steakhouses of North America have earned the coveted DiRoNA Award of Excellence.