Stars are nice, but restaurants lately also are coveting kisses.

Many eateries are benefiting from the unique rating system of the Black Foodies, a husband-and-wife team of internet-based reviewers who determine which restaurants coast-to-coast are deserving of your time and money.

One peck on the lips is something to be avoided. Five pecks means the restaurant is exceptional.

“The food has to be excellent,” said Dino Dean, 55, who films YouTube videos with his wife, Coretta, 52. “Nothing average. The presentation has to be there.”

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Chef Shawanda Simmons experienced the Black Foodies’ impact firsthand when her soul food restaurant received the top rating in 2023.

“For the first month after I met them, it was crazy,” said Simmons, 43, of the South Side, who owns PassionEats Soul Food & Catering in Oak Lawn, and PassionEats Express in Oak Park.

“People just start coming out of nowhere. They were coming from Waukegan. I have a state representative that comes from Milwaukee that says, ‘I saw you on the Black Foodies.’”

Nearly seven years after launching the Black Foodies to highlight Black-owned restaurants in and outside of Chicago, the Deans have filmed more than 450 YouTube videos. They have amassed more than 20,000 subscribers on YouTube, nearly 75,000 followers on Instagram and more than 25,000 followers on TikTok.

Restaurant owners say they appreciate the Black Foodies not only for boosting their business, but for being genuine, down-to-earth and a positive example of “Black love.”

“I think their approach is very familial,” said James Beard Award-winning Chef Erick Williams, who owns Virtue Restaurant & Bar in Hyde Park. “It’s refreshing. It’s not negative, and it displays Black love and Black love for food and support in a way that is easy to digest — all puns intended.”

Married for 31 years and residents of the south suburbs, the Deans were inspired to start the Black Foodies after struggling to find a Black-owned restaurant while vacationing in Miami.

At first, producing videos was challenging for the parents of five.

“I didn’t know how to hold the camera,” said Dino, an electrician by trade.

“Our heads were chopped off [in the frame],” added Coretta, who works as a real estate agent.

They got better with some coaching from their oldest daughter, Brittney Dean. Eventually, they purchased mics and even a drone. Now, they’ve become a go-to for the scoop on Black-owned restaurants.

Unlike traditional food reviewers, The Deans let restaurant owners know ahead of time that they will be evaluating their businesses. The couple’s five-kiss rating system is based on taste, presentation and service. And they present each restaurant with a certificate acknowledging that they’ve been “kissed by the Black Foodies.”

In addition to their videos, they have extensive directories on their website, theblackfoodies.com. They also host food tours on a luxury coach bus.

“I definitely didn’t think that they would be the big success that they are now,” said Brittney, 36, of the South Side. “I started seeing people that I went to college with that I don’t even talk to anymore, but they’re posting my parents. … It’s kind of cool.”

While the Black Foodies’ videos cover restaurant owners of all ethnicities from Chicago to New York to Puerto Rico, the couple said promoting Black-owned eateries is important.

“There’s a lot of complaints in our community about what we don’t have, and if we don’t support our restaurants, who else will?” Dino said. “And it really boils down to supporting the economic infrastructure of our community like everybody else does. And by showcasing these restaurants, it will bring other people from outside of the community in as well to spend their dollars.”

Brittney said she commended her parents for pushing back against the stereotyping of Black-owned restaurants as unprofessional or too expensive.

“It’s bringing camaraderie and closing the gap between consumers and Black-owned businesses,” she said. “They’re breaking down that stereotype a little bit. I think that’s important for Chicago and the country overall.”

Chef Quentin Love praised the Black Foodies, who have filmed videos for all of his restaurants: TurkeyChop Gourmet Grill, Soul Food Lounge on the West Side and the second Soul Food Lounge, which recently opened in Beverly.

In the latest video, which is on Instagram and TikTok, the couple called Love’s Maine Stuffed Buttered Lobster a “five-kiss dish.”

“Words can’t even express the impact they made on my life over the last 60 days by being so generous,” said Love, 51, of the West Side. “I definitely talk about them to other restaurant owners so they could have that exposure.”

In May, the Black Foodies gave out five kisses to Bronzeville Winery, which they called their “restaurant of the year so far.”

“They have an amazing synergy with each other,” said Bronzeville Winery chef Lamar Moore, 42, who also lives in Bronzeville. “They are such down-to-earth people, and they are very authentic. … We really appreciate what they’ve done for us.”

The Deans have been building their chemistry for almost 40 years. They met and became a couple at Thornton Township High School.

“He stole my heart,” Coretta said. “He ended up being this cool guy, but a little teddy bear, too. … I asked him to bring me a Cherry Coke and a Mars bar. He would bring it to me every day to school in his little briefcase.”

“When you’re in high school, you can get a cheap date,” Dino said, laughing.

Now, the sweethearts travel the world dining in the best restaurants, and their brand continues to grow.

“I don’t think that they’ve really scratched the surface yet, to be honest,” chef Love said. “I don’t think that enough people know about them. They will, though.”

At 6 a.m. Saturday, the couple will debut their new food-focused TV show, “Signature Chicago,” on WGN-Channel 9.