Volo's rating system

Volo's Ratings System was the means by which Volothamp Geddarm ranked taverns, inns, shops, alleyways, and so forth in his well-known guidebooks. The categories were as follows:

Pipes
Used to rate the quality of inns, which were defined as any establishment that rented beds to travelers. The rating took into account such things as decor, comfort, service, food, et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.

An inn received a number of pipes from being the lowest quality to  being the highest quality.

Tankards
Used to rate the quality of taverns, defined as any public establishment that serves alcoholic beverages. The rating took into account such things as atmosphere, watering of the drinks, service, decor, food (if any), et cetera. The criteria did not include pricing.

A tavern received a number of tankards from being the lowest quality to  being the highest quality.

Coins
Used to rate the pricing of all businesses. The rating compared the general prices of goods or services against the average for the city/country/region in which the business operated. The rating did not relate to the quality of the goods or services offered.

A business received a number of coins from being the least expensive to  being the most expensive.

Daggers
Used to rate the dangerousness of alleyways, courtyards, et cetera. The rating took into account such things as crime rates and the general propensities of the denizens of the area in question.

An area received a number of daggers from being the least dangerous to  being the most dangerous.

The Menzoberranzan System
The city of Menzoberranzan also had ratings for various establishments and they used a five-point system inspired by Volo.

Coin Stacks
Used to rate the pricing at all businesses, but not necessarily an indication of quality. A business received a number of coin stacks from being the cheapest to  being the most expensive.

Stars
Quality was measured on a scale from as the worst to  as the best.

Skulls
Menzoberranzan was not a safe place in general, but certain locations were rated for their level of threat, from for merely unsafe to  for extremely deadly.