Back in October, Google forked over $151 million to acquire Zagat. Of course we didn’t know what Google had in store for it then but now however, the company has revealed its plans with regards to the restaurant review and guide system. According to the team behind Google+, the acquisition of Zagat was the final piece of the puzzle and with it; Google has launched a new Google+ tab called Local which will replace the Google+ Places page. In addition to that, the results based on Local will be intertwined with search results when users attempt one on either Google Maps or Places.
The team posted on its blog today,
“Today, we’re rolling out Google+ Local, a simple way to discover and share local information featuring Zagat scores and recommendations from people you trust in Google+. Google+ Local helps people like my husband turn a craving—“Wow, I need brunch”—into an afternoon outing: “Perfect, there’s a dim sum place with great reviews just two blocks from here. Let’s go.” It’s integrated into Search, Maps and mobile and available as a new tab in Google+—creating one simple experience across Google.”
This new product not only puts the social element into the task of simply finding a place to eat, but it has made Zagat reviews that the company has been compiling over the past 32 years the definite centerpiece. When you are looking to find a venue via Google+ Local, users will be able to see its Zagat rating based on a 30-point scale as opposed to the previous 5-star rating system which could be misleading.
As far as restaurants go, the scores will be broken up into categories like food and decor. Apparently, users of the Android app for Google+ will be able to use the feature and iOS support is reported to be coming along soon and that will effectively allow users to add their own reviews as well as upload photos from the places that you’ve visited while on-the-move. Let us know if you’ve used the feature and what you think about it with a comment below.
Filed in . Read more about Google.