# The Cut List

> The Cut List is an independent editorial discovery guide that names exactly three picks per category — no middleman™ between merit and visibility. We don't own, sell, or represent the brands or businesses we list; the recommendation itself is the product. Coverage spans San Diego local categories plus a growing set of product verticals. The Cut List is a Mark Cuban company.

## Start here
- [The Cut List home](https://thecutlist.com/): The current city guide and featured categories.
- [San Diego](https://thecutlist.com/san-diego): Local three-pick guides across San Diego categories.
- [Product picks](https://thecutlist.com/products): Editorial three-pick guides across product verticals.

## Browse every category
- [All categories](https://thecutlist.com/categories): Every category we cover, grouped for browsing.
- [Category index (A–Z)](https://thecutlist.com/index): An alphabetical index of every category.

## How the three-picks system works
- [How to use The Cut List](https://thecutlist.com/how-to-use): How to read a category and its three picks.
- [AEO white paper](https://thecutlist.com/aeo-white-paper): Our answer-engine-optimization methodology and why we publish machine-readable picks.

Every category names exactly three picks. Each pick is labeled by provenance: an "Insider Pick" comes from a vetted expert, while a researched pick is drawn from published reviews and reporting, and each pick links to a listing that cites its sources. Sponsorship, where present, is disclosed and kept separate from these editorial picks.

## Machine-readable feeds
- [Top 3 feed (JSON)](https://thecutlist.com/top3.json): Exhaustive feed of every category and its three picks, with per-pick provenance and rationale.
- [Sitemap](https://thecutlist.com/sitemap.xml): The complete index of every page on the site.

## About & contact
- [A Mark Cuban company](https://thecutlist.com/mark-cuban-company): The company behind The Cut List.
- [Media](https://thecutlist.com/media): Press and media resources.
- [Advertise](https://thecutlist.com/advertise): How sponsorship works and how it stays separate from editorial picks.
- [Contact](https://thecutlist.com/contact): Get in touch.
- [Privacy](https://thecutlist.com/privacy): Privacy policy.
- [Terms](https://thecutlist.com/terms): Terms of service.