Why Desi Guide exists
More than five million South Asians live in America. Every day they look for halal food, familiar groceries and trusted Desi services, and too often they find outdated listings or businesses nobody has checked.
Halal food
Restaurants, caterers and butchers that are really halal, with the right address and hours.
Desi grocery
Grocery stores and markets that stock the spices, produce and brands people grew up with.
Desi services
Help with things like visas and immigration, taxes, legal, travel, health and education, from people who understand the community.
Accurate and verified by people
Everything listed on Desi Guide is meant to be accurate and checked by real people, not generated by AI and not decided by an algorithm. That is why the community can trust it, and it is why we need ambassadors like you to verify the details on the ground.
Why businesses need you
Many businesses have no website and no time to build an online presence. Desi Guide offers a free listing, and you help them fill it in.
Many have no website at all
A lot of Desi businesses have never had a website. Desi Guide gives them a free business listing, so customers can finally find them online.
Owners are busy running the business
Many restaurants, grocers and service providers simply have no time to set up and manage their listing on Desi Guide. Their menus, hours and photos stay empty or out of date.
You do it with them, or for them
As an ambassador you can build and improve the listing on their behalf, so the business shows up properly without the owner having to learn a new tool first.
Then hand it over
When the listing is ready, you hand it over to the owner. They sign in with their own account and can manage it themselves from then on.
What ambassadors do
We cannot visit every restaurant, store and masjid ourselves. With your help, each listing gets checked by someone who actually lives there.
Verify what is listed
Visit restaurants, grocers, masjids, mandirs, clinics and shops near you and confirm the details are true: address, hours, phone, halal status, menu.
Add real photos
Take the storefront, logo and gallery photos that make a listing worth trusting, instead of stock images.
Fill in the gaps
Add missing hours, contact details, map pins, descriptions and dishes so people can actually find and reach the business.
Scout new businesses
Find Desi businesses that are not on Desi Guide yet and add them from their Google Maps link.
Help owners take over
Introduce owners to their free listing and hand it over, so they can manage menus, deals and reviews themselves.
Keep it honest
Flag closed, duplicate or wrong listings. Every ambassador edit is recorded and checked against the data.
Your responsibilities
This is what we expect from every ambassador. You will find each of these tools in your ambassador workspace.
Onboard business partners
Find Desi businesses in your area that are missing from Desi Guide and add them, for example from their Google Maps link.
Keep your portfolio accurate
For the businesses in your portfolio, keep the profile details, contact info, hours, menu and dishes, photos and descriptions correct and complete.
Log your field visits
Record your visits, calls and meetings with owners in your Field Activity Log so the team can see what happened.
Request perks honestly
Only request cash, perks or discounts for work you really did. Each request is settled with the business owner, and the owner approves it.
Hand over to the owner
When an owner is ready, invite them to take over the listing. They accept by signing in with their own account.
Follow the code of conduct
Report only what you have seen yourself. No fake reviews, no accepting payment to change a rating or a listing, and respect for owners and the community.
Skills you need
No degree and no experience in the industry. These three basics are what we ask for.
Photography
Clear, well-lit photos of storefronts, logos, menus and dishes taken with your phone. Good photos are the biggest upgrade a listing can get.
Mobile app use
You will do most of your work from your phone, so you should be comfortable using apps, uploading photos and filling in forms on a small screen.
Basic knowledge
A basic understanding of your local Desi food, businesses and community, plus the care to check facts such as hours, address and halal status before you enter them.
Rewards, perks and discounts
Your work is recorded and rewarded. Points are only given when the data really is on the listing.
Free meals up to $100
In a Desi Guide survey, many business and restaurant owners agreed to give ambassadors a free meal worth up to $100 in return for the work. The exact offer is agreed with each owner.
Cash, perks and discounts
Desi Guide lets you request cash, perks or discounts for the work you do. It is a settlement between you and the business owner: they approve it, and it is tracked in your ambassador wallet.
Contribution points & 10 levels
Every verified improvement earns points. Climb from Scout to Legend and unlock recognition on your public ambassador profile.
Every edit is tracked
You can update any business from your ambassador profile, and we track every change. That is what keeps points fair and listings trustworthy.
Official Field ID & profile
An official Desi Guide ambassador identity and a public profile that shows the places you have helped.
Grow into a lead role
Bigger portfolios unlock priority review, event and tasting passes, territory rights and the chance to mentor new ambassadors.
The 10 contribution levels
How it works
Apply
Sign in and send the short form below.
We review
The Desi Guide team checks every application by hand.
Get approved
Your account becomes an ambassador account and opens the ambassador workspace.
Verify & earn
Improve listings in your area, collect points and redeem perks.
Who we are looking for
- Live in the US and know your local Desi community
- A smartphone with a camera and a few free hours each week
- Honest, accurate and respectful: no fake reviews, no paid-for ratings
- Willing to be verified: your application is reviewed by a person
Questions
I own a business. Can I also be an ambassador?+
Ambassador accounts are separate from business accounts, so apply with a different email address. This keeps your business safe and avoids any conflict of interest.
Do I need special skills?+
Just three basics: taking good photos with your phone, being comfortable using a mobile app, and basic knowledge of your local Desi businesses and community. We show you the rest in the ambassador workspace.
Where are the rules?+
The ambassador terms are part of our Terms of Service (section 4). Questions? Contact the Desi Guide team from the contact page and choose the ambassador topic.
Is there a limit on ambassadors?+
No. There is no limit and no quota. Anyone can apply, in any city, as long as they follow the code of conduct. Each application is still reviewed by the Desi Guide team.
Is this a job?+
No. Ambassadors are community volunteers who are rewarded with perks, points and recognition. It is not employment.
How much can I earn?+
Many owners in our survey agreed to a free meal worth up to $100. Beyond that, you can request cash, perks or discounts, and the amount is settled between you and the business owner, who approves it. Desi Guide does not promise a fixed amount; everything you earn is shown in your ambassador wallet.
What happens after I hand a business over?+
The owner manages it from their own account. You can still update any business from your ambassador profile, and your changes stay tracked.
Who approves ambassadors?+
Every application is reviewed by the Desi Guide team. Approval is not automatic.
What happens if I am not approved?+
You will see the reason on this page and you are welcome to apply again later.
Do I need an account?+
Yes. Sign in (or sign up) first so we can connect your application to your account.