# Appealing rejection of Wayspot removal request - Multinational franchise restaurant **URL:** \ **Category:** Wayspot Appeals\ **Created:** [April 23, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128 "2026-04-23T12:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GIZhou88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@GIZhou88](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/GIZhou88)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/1 "2026-04-23T12:11:08Z")
When submitting a Wayspot Appeal, make sure to include as much of the following information as possible: - Wayspot Title: **South Common Wendy’s and Tim’s** - Location _(lat/lon)_: 53.44606° N, 113.49127° W - City: Edmonton - Country: Canada - Screenshot of the Rejection Email: - Additional Information _(if any)_: I requested this Wayspot to be removed because I recall that generally speaking, generic franchise stores and restaurants should not be approved as they are not unique, local, or culturally significant. This Wayspot actually highlights _two_ multinational franchise restaurants: Wendy’s and Tim Horton’s (which was added to the the building later as they had the same owner) There’s lots of other Poke Stops in this area, including a legit Wayspot with artwork just a few meters away ![tims2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/wayfarer/original/3X/b/b/bbc0cabb7f35e053763cd6d75ab00a94592dab95.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![cyndiepooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@cyndiepooh](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/cyndiepooh)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/2 "2026-04-23T12:24:27Z")
First, I am not staff. Second, removals have different criteria than approvals. It mostly likely shouldn’t have been approved, but will not meet internal removal criteria. I am going to set this to “Watching” to see what staff say. There are conditions under which a chain restaurant could be eligible. We don’t know what was in the original supporting statement. > [@Generic/Non-Generic Businesses](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/generic-non-generic-businesses/12477): > > There are many stores, restaurants, and businesses that may seem generic or not notable at first glance, but can be eligible with the proper supporting information. Generic Businesses A store that may be considered generic may not hold much cultural importance in larger cities, but these places can function as social hubs in more rural areas. Supporting evidence should be provided that makes a good case for why a seemingly generic business is a great place for the local community to explore or… ---
**Author:** ![GIZhou88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@GIZhou88](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/GIZhou88)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/3 "2026-04-23T12:40:24Z")
Thanks @cyndiepooh for the quick response and posting the helpful link to the post about Generic/Non-Generic Businesses. I agree this Poke Stop probably should not have been approved in the first place. Were there Wayspots in the past approved by AI? Possibly the AI was not aware what “Wendy’s and Tim’s” referred to? For more context: this is an urban Poke Stop within the city limits of a major Canadian city. Tim Horton’s in Canada are almost as ubiquitous as Starbucks in the USA. There are 113 Tim Horton’s in Edmonton (including one just 3 minutes away from this one) and 21 Wendy’s here, and I’ve never seen any of them have a dedicated Poke Stop. The main issue to me is that this Wayspot gives an inconsistent impression of what a “regular” Poke Stop should be as corporate ones like McDonald’s and Starbucks Poke Stops clearly show that they are sponsored. ---
**Author:** ![cyndiepooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@cyndiepooh](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/cyndiepooh)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/4 "2026-04-23T12:46:38Z")
> [@GIZhou88](#): > > Were there Wayspots in the past approved by AI? Possibly the AI was not aware what “Wendy’s and Tim’s” referred to? It was able to approve in the past, although it can’t now, and that very well may be how this was accepted. But I have seen similar locations be accepted by the community well before the Machine Learning model was around. So idk. (You may want to remove the “Solved” check mark to leave that for staff.) ---
**Author:** ![salixsorbus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@salixsorbus](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/salixsorbus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/5 "2026-04-23T12:47:26Z")
Community reviewers often accept things that are not eligible under the criteria rules. Alternatively, sometimes something looks ineligible until you read the information that the submitter provided. ---
**Author:** ![GIZhou88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@GIZhou88](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/GIZhou88)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/6 "2026-04-23T13:06:24Z")
Thanks again for the reply. I must have clicked on the “Solution” icon by mistake. Thanks for pointing it out! ---
**Author:** ![ScopelyExpAaron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wayfarer/user_avatar/community.wayfarer.scopely.com/scopelyexpaaron/32/56681_2.png) [@ScopelyExpAaron](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/ScopelyExpAaron)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/7 "2026-04-23T13:34:39Z")
Thanks for the appeal @GIZhou88, we looked at this Wayspot again and decided to stand by our decision to not retire the Wayspot. ---
**Author:** ![GIZhou88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@GIZhou88](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/GIZhou88)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 6:20am UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/8 "2026-04-24T06:20:39Z")
Thank you @ScopelyExpAaron for your prompt response and I respect your decision! Generally speaking I am always in favour of more Poke Stops available for players, and happy to see this one stay now that we know it was approved for legit reasons. It just seemed incongruous for the reasons I mentioned above. For future reference, could I humbly ask the team to let us know why this particular franchise location was deemed acceptable? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![salixsorbus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@salixsorbus](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/salixsorbus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/9 "2026-04-24T06:51:54Z")
> [@GIZhou88](#): > > For future reference, could I humbly ask the team to let us know why this particular franchise location was deemed acceptable? Thanks in advance. Removal criteria are stricter then acceptance criteria. Niantic have not stated the removal criteria explicitly, but it’s along the following lines. Removal is accepted for any of the following: - not safely accessible - on SFPRP or other strictly ineligible location - something that simply doesn’t come anywhere close to key criteria (Exercise, Social, Exploration) This means that borderline and edge cases will rarely be removed, as they are not categorically against criteria. This is why (e.g.) memorial benches for someone who has no meaning beyond their family stay in the game once accepted and will not get removed. ---
**Author:** ![cyndiepooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@cyndiepooh](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/u/cyndiepooh)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 11:50am UTC](https://community.wayfarer.scopely.com/t/appealing-rejection-of-wayspot-removal-request-multinational-franchise-restaurant/113128/10 "2026-04-24T11:50:39Z")
It is bizarre to me, too, but leaving it in game does not mean they feel it meets acceptance criteria.