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Google Sells Off Zagat to Another Restaurant Review Company

posted by martyb on Tuesday March 06 2018, @08:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the now-I'm-getting-hungry dept.

takyon writes:

Google to Sell Zagat to The Infatuation, an Upstart Review Site

When Google agreed to buy Zagat for $151 million nearly seven years ago, the technology giant intended to bring the restaurant review empire into the digital age.

Now ownership of Zagat will change again — into the hands of an upstart restaurant review company that has harnessed smartphone apps, an Instagram hashtag and a texting recommendation service as parts of its path to growth.

That company, The Infatuation, announced on Monday that it would buy Zagat from Google. It did not disclose the amount.

"How often does an iconic brand like Zagat become available?" Chris Stang, a co-founder of The Infatuation and its chief executive, said in a telephone interview. "When you think about its history and what Zagat means to so many people, it's a huge opportunity."

Also at TechCrunch.

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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:42PM (4 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:42PM (#648783) Journal

    "Mists of dreams drip along the nascent echo and love no more. End of line."

    What I'm wondering is...wtf is Zagat again? Never fecking heard of it: really, is it worth $150million?

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:47PM (2 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:47PM (#648786) Journal

    When you go to your next few non-chain restaurants, look for a Zagat sticker or plaque near the door.

    I've seen them, but I can see how its influence has waned as Yelp and others have taken over. Even the user reviews included with Google Maps are probably more relevant to people.

    Next to die: the Michelin Guide [wikipedia.org].

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    • (Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Wednesday March 07 2018, @12:52AM

      by insanumingenium (4824) on Wednesday March 07 2018, @12:52AM (#648802) Journal
      That is like picking bars on whether they paid BMI the last time they came through looking for bribes royalty payments.

    • (Score: 2) by quietus on Thursday March 08 2018, @01:25PM

      by quietus (6328) on Thursday March 08 2018, @01:25PM (#649471) Journal
      Why do you think the Michelin Guide will die? Getting a star is a big thing, worthy of mention on national radio & television.

  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday March 07 2018, @06:43AM

    by FatPhil (863) <{pc-soylent} {at} {asdf.fi}> on Wednesday March 07 2018, @06:43AM (#648903) Homepage
    Agreed - "iconic brand like Zagat"?!?!?

    Trip Advisor, yep, can't avoid it. Yelp, yep, heard of it, but never seems relevant. Zagat? Never fucking heard of it.

    I guess this is another of "all over the USA, therefore the whole world" views. Heard at a local restaurant a while back:
    Customer: Do you take dollars?
    Staff: No, only euros.
    Customer: But dollars are accepted everywhere!?!
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