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Google Acquires Zagat

Posted by timothy on from the is-anyone-yelping-this? dept.

quantr writes "Google has acquired Zagat, one of the most well-known names in restaurant reviews. Zagat is best known for its small guidebooks (the dead-tree sort) that offer reviews and recommendations on restaurants around the world. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed." Newly accepted submitter jkirch writes with a link to Google's announcement.

21 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Slashdot, coming to you 4 months in future! by BLToday · · Score: 2

    You're suppose to extinguish the competition, not your own service and making the competition stronger.

  2. Not highly confident in Zagat ratings by dcavanaugh · · Score: 2

    I watch some of those "failing restaurant" shows: Kitchen Nightmares, Restaurant Impossible, etc.

    MANY of those places have Zagat stickers in the windows, often with good ratings. And yet their businesses are dying and the TV chefs think the food is awful. Customers are scarce, so there must be a reason. Some of the problems with food quality and cleanliness might be overstated for shock value, but it never looks like the TV chef has to try very hard to find problems.

    What's up with all of these Zagat-rated disaster restaurants? Does anyone on Slashdot know what's going on?

    1. Re:Not highly confident in Zagat ratings by Kenja · · Score: 3, Informative

      Being "Zagat rated" like the stickers say does not mean that you got a GOOD rating.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    2. Re:Not highly confident in Zagat ratings by dcavanaugh · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A successful restaurant owner does not volunteer for these "makeover" shows. If you have customers, the last thing you want is a TV crew taking up space. If your place is packed, advertising won't help. Although many of the owners have claimed the show manufactured drama, a lot of what they show would hard to create just for the camera -- unless of course it was there already. How many restaurant owners are likely to admit the findings are accurate? In the cases where the TV chef sends in a cleaning crew to address years of unsanitary kitchen conditions, it's hard to believe they brought in years of grease buildup.

      I understand there are some restaurant owners who think their only problem is marketing, so free TV publicity is all they think they need. But I know of some great restaurants that are always packed. Their success is pretty much self-sustaining (even with zero advertising) as long as customer satisfaction is high. Sooner or later something happens to break the cycle and a downward spiral begins. Very rarely is a restaurant failing due to a sudden lack of advertising.

  3. Tiger Uppercut! by Tetsujin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Google must still defeat Shen Long to stand a chance.

    --
    Bow-ties are cool.
  4. Sweet! by GeorgeMonroy · · Score: 2

    Maybe one day the government will need to break up google also and then years later let it recombine!

    --
    You got the touch!
    1. Re:Sweet! by shoehornjob · · Score: 2

      Sorta like AT&T and cingular wireless. Yeah that'll work.

      --
      "We are just a war away from Amerikastan. When god vs god the undoing of man." Dave Mustaine
  5. Re:Food ID's by TheGatesofBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the food was so horrible that you trashed the place in a review, why would you go back?

  6. Makes sense, but then what wouldn't? by Ptolemarch · · Score: 2

    The acquisition makes sense, in that they obviously want ratings of restaurants (and other places) on Maps, and they've already changed tactics there once or twice. This'll pretty much take care of that problem.

    I start to wonder, though, whether any acquisition by Google wouldn't "make sense". Their purchase of Motorola Mobility makes sense, too (though not to everyone). When you buy a consumer electronics company and a restaurant guide in consecutive months, what won't you buy? What acquisitions won't "make sense"?

    Google buys Pacific Gas and Electric for $20B. Makes sense...

  7. Re:Goodbye Yelp by jdgeorge · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1. Yelp is no Apple (iPhone/iPod/iTunes; probably the best designed/marketed/developed products in 50 years. I detest the Apple approach, but I respect their success and understanding of their market).
    2. Google's first social network (Orkut) launched before Facebook, but Facebook's approach was more appealing to US consumers. But we don't yet know what's going to happen with Google+. However, Facebook is no Apple either.
    3. Zagat is focused on a narrower market than Yelp.

    Hopefully, Yelp will continue to develop. They have a lot of value as is. However, I wouldn't want Google to suddenly enhance one of the competitors in my space. It may be that this aquisition will actually help Yelp; we don't know what Google is planning yet.

  8. Crappy Link by shoehornjob · · Score: 4, Informative

    It took too long. The WSJ has a better one here http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904836104576558600549181370.html/ that's not behind a paywall. It also takes a more insightful view of the deal and who might be affected by it.

    --
    "We are just a war away from Amerikastan. When god vs god the undoing of man." Dave Mustaine
  9. Re:Food ID's by MrHanky · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He didn't say the food was horrible, he just said he wanted to trash it anonymously online.

  10. Re:Goodbye Yelp by alen · · Score: 2

    and yelp has been accused of extorting local businesses. i went to a restaurant on monday and most of the yelp reviews were so so to bad. i was surprised when i had some really good greek food.

    zagat is a much better brand than yelp and the whole crowd sourcing thing is a 50/50 crap shoot most of the time

  11. Re:Next weeks news: Zagat sues Frommer's by MrHanky · · Score: 2

    You're such a wanker, Kendall.

  12. I stopped trusting Zagat for reviews... by leonbev · · Score: 2

    When they sold out, started "reviewing" chain fast food restaurants, and started giving "Best Of" awards to places like KFC and Burger King.

    I wonder how much the big fast food places paid off Zagat to get their stickers in almost every corporate owned fast food place out there?

  13. Just remember by rinoid · · Score: 2

    Unless you are buying ads from Google you are not a user to them, you are a product to them.

    YOU ARE THE PRODUCT!

    1. Re:Just remember by MrHanky · · Score: 2

      TV has to make good shows ... can't tell if serious.

  14. 2013's headline: Google to shut down Zagat by PostScience · · Score: 2

    Google is like the rich kid with too many toys.

    How long before Google shuts down Zagat? This can be nothing but a drop in the bucket of their global strategy. Why bother?

    As a stockholder, I'd be ticked about their endless wasteful acquisitions and distractions.

  15. Re:Goodbye Yelp by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

    3. Zagat is focused on a narrower market than Yelp.

    For now, anyway. I think it's reasonable to assume Zagat will become a standard app on Android and expand from there.

    Yelp could use some editors. Five years ago it was really helpful, today it's suffering from lower quality reviews.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  16. I Didn't Know McDonalds Was That Good by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 2

    Well this explains McDonalds' and Burger King's new top ten rating in Zagat. Or do you think it might have to do with how much money they pay Google for Advertising?

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    -- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
  17. Re:Goodbye Yelp by Macrat · · Score: 2

    Every parent ever has been accused of being "totally mean" or "UNFAIR" by the children they're disciplining.

    Parents ask for an "advertising" payment in exchange for allowing good reviews to be posted?