"Google" "buys" "Zagat" ?/?/?/?

September 8, 2011 9:46 AM

After Yelp "walked" (and Google was caught using their "reviews without attribution"), Google has "acquired" "Zagat Survey", touting it as the "cornerstone of our local offering".
posted by griphus (45 comments total)

Favorited for creative use of scare quotes.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:48 AM on September 8, 2011 [13 favorites]

I hope the reviews wind up on the internet, like this old clip.
posted by Renoroc at 9:52 AM on September 8, 2011

No, no, "that's" what "Zagat reviews" look "like."
posted by griphus at 9:52 AM on September 8, 2011 [15 favorites]

Those aren't "scare quotes." That's been Zagat's "house style" "forever."
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:52 AM on September 8, 2011 [3 favorites]

Favorited for creative use of scare quotes.

That's "actually" what a "real" Zagat review "looks like."
posted by mattbucher at 9:53 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

This "useless dinosaur" of a review source hasn't been opened "since the late '90s". Still "everyone who's anyone" probably has a few "dusty" copies in their "junk drawer".
posted by 2bucksplus at 9:53 AM on September 8, 2011 [9 favorites]

There's so much that's ambiguous about this FPP:
* It's not about Google?
* Google didn't buy Zagat?
* It's not even about Zagat?!

And that's just the title! Equally perplexing:
* Did Yelp not really walk away from the negotiations?
* Again, didn't Google really acquire Zagat? Isn't it really called Zagat Survey?

So many questions :/
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:54 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh that makes sense. I guess I've outed myself as a poor restaurant connoisseur.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:56 AM on September 8, 2011

Don't be "evil"
posted by Skeptic at 9:59 AM on September 8, 2011 [15 favorites]

Makes sense. I've noticed almost every restaurant has a Zagat sticker now. The Michelin Guide, since it expanded to the US, is really what Zagat used to be.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:04 AM on September 8, 2011

I'm mostly happy for Kaygetsu.
posted by swift at 10:05 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Felix Salmon at Reuters rightly wonders "What does Google want with Zagat?"
posted by twsf at 10:05 AM on September 8, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ha! Let's see who doesn't rate the Google cafeteria now!
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 10:08 AM on September 8, 2011 [2 favorites]

Well compared to Yelp, Zagat is positively authoritative. You can argue that a Zagat scores are not comparable between markets, but Yelp ratings aren't even comparable on the same street. So if Google wants reviews and ratings for Google Local, they can do much worse than Zagat.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:12 AM on September 8, 2011 [3 favorites]

Ad hominem: "The Michelin Guide , since it expanded to the US, is really what Zagat used to be."

Whatever its merit, Michelin only covers New York, Chicago or SF. Not so useful to the rest of us. Not that I've ever used Zagat either but at least they're a little more expansive.
posted by octothorpe at 10:13 AM on September 8, 2011

Felix Salmon at Reuters rightly wonders "What does Google want with Zagat?"

He seems to think that Google is a trusted name in restaurant reviews. I ... disagree. I mean, my mother was the one who used a Zagat, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "hey, let's try this place, what does Google have to say about it."
posted by griphus at 10:13 AM on September 8, 2011

Not that I've ever used Zagat either but at least they're a little more expansive.

Zagat was initially New York only, and it was something of an honor to even be rated. Kinda the was Michelin is now.

Zagat absolutely makes sense for google local since it is so expansive.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:20 AM on September 8, 2011

Google Food??
posted by djrock3k at 10:23 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wait, didn't Google recently call out Microsoft for presenting search results in Bing which were originally obtained from Google? This seems like pretty much the same thing.
posted by cotterpin at 10:32 AM on September 8, 2011

Google food
posted by aubilenon at 10:36 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

I love Zagat!

I read it recreationally and put the little stickers on restaurants that I will probably never go to.

Yes, you read right, the book comes with STICKERS. !!!
posted by the young rope-rider at 10:42 AM on September 8, 2011 [6 favorites]

Metafilter: "Metafilter"
posted by spicynuts at 10:55 AM on September 8, 2011 [6 favorites]

Yes, you read right, the book comes with STICKERS. !!!

It's still a physical book? Wow.
posted by octothorpe at 10:56 AM on September 8, 2011

Yes, you read right, the book comes with STICKERS. !!!

What would be better would be if the book comes with stickers with your MeFi name on it, then would go out and stick your little MeFagat sticker on a restaurant you like and then we'd all know where the best joints are.
posted by spicynuts at 10:58 AM on September 8, 2011

ZagaFi? MeZagat?
posted by spicynuts at 10:58 AM on September 8, 2011

...stick your little MeFagat sticker...

[Matthew does a story on Joey Buttafuco]
Beth: Matthew, I think you mispronounced that guy's name a few times.
Matthew Brock: What, it's uh, Joey Buttafu...
Dave Nelson: No it isn't, Matthew! It's, uh, Buttafuoco. Butta-foo-co.
Matthew Brock: What did I say?
Dave Nelson: Well, Matthew, of all the possible mispronunciations of that name, you seem to have stumbled upon absolutely the worst one.
posted by griphus at 11:00 AM on September 8, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's still a physical book? Wow.

Having recently traveled, I'm extremely glad you can still find information on paper. A handheld computer does not cut it when you want to quickly google something, especially if your hotel room's wifi is the pits. Paper doesn't run out of batteries, either.

My favorite purchase on that trip wasn't a meal, an attraction or a souvenir. It was a physical map and I couldn't even find one until the 2nd or 3rd day.
posted by DU at 11:02 AM on September 8, 2011

AN EDITORIAL CARTOON FOR "SCARE QUOTES" DAY:

          ___
       "//\\\\\\"     `    \`  "      "
       :"""""\\\\              ,
       \ ~L~ )\\\\           '\(__"`',..   "
       /\_~ / ||||        ,  |  ~~T--/__       `
      ////| |////            //  A  / ^\\\\
     ||||^    ~~~~~~--------~/  G / x)  //
     /  ( (    _____---~~~~~\| A C      @)   "SPLAT!"
    (  )|      /        /   / Z /(     |
     \^\"Google"        /   \" /   ~~~\ \ _        _  __
      \ \/    \              \ |\\|)   |~~ ~~\_  /^\/^\ \
       ))      )         "    ~ \__/\  / /    \ \|     | |
        |      |       `     ,     \ \/ /"Yelp" \   / /
        |______|                    \  /  \      \ /-/ /
         | || |        "          `  ~~    /~~~~~~)`--''
         ( || |                 "        /   /   /
          \ | |         "               |   ||  T  
           \| /                     ,    \ __\\__\
           /_^||                        /~___|~___|              

posted by benzenedream at 11:20 AM on September 8, 2011 [5 favorites]

Yes, you read right, the book comes with STICKERS.

Mine came with a scratch-and-sniff "spaghetti & meatballs." I might trade it later for my friend Tim's "Gewürztraminer" and "pickled beets" stickers.
posted by mintcake! at 11:31 AM on September 8, 2011

"'The City Steakhouse serves the best beef in town, their sensual setting will set the mood for any romantic rendez-vous' Oh, hear that Hank?"

"Give me cancer now, God."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:35 AM on September 8, 2011 [4 favorites]

Why is everyone down on Zagat? He's like the best character in Street Fighter 4.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:42 AM on September 8, 2011 [10 favorites]

Scare quotes are yesterday's fad. And, they are not really scary either - my list of fears goes Dracula, Werewolf, Zombie, Republican, the Mummy and only THEN quotes.

Quotes would be a lot more scary if there were more inverted commas involved, like """"this"""". A quote like that would leapfrog Werewolf and only a serious vampire would make me shit my pants more and longer.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 11:52 AM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Don't be "evil"

Or:

"Don't" be evil.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:52 AM on September 8, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's still a physical book? Wow.

It's still a physical book in large part because it gets printed in branded covers and given away as corporate swag by hopeful vendors. I get a bunch every year from court reporting firms.
posted by The Bellman at 11:59 AM on September 8, 2011

Don't "bee" evil.

[ASCII art of a happy bee.]
posted by griphus at 12:01 PM on September 8, 2011 [2 favorites]

Zagat founders Sagat and Zangief celebrated by destroying an S-Class
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:42 PM on September 8, 2011 [8 favorites]

griphus: "Felix Salmon at Reuters rightly wonders "What does Google want with Zagat?"

He seems to think that Google is a trusted name in restaurant reviews. I ... disagree. I mean, my mother was the one who used a Zagat, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "hey, let's try this place, what does Google have to say about it.""

True - I just say "What does madisonatoz.com have to say about it?"

Notice, I used "quotes?" Am I "doing it right"?
posted by symbioid at 1:38 PM on September 8, 2011

Please convert those hash marks to smart quotes so we can see how those turn into inverted question marks.
posted by clvrmnky at 1:38 PM on September 8, 2011

Mostly, this announcement, like anything Zagat related, just makes me miss Chris Farley. I may be showing my small town Midwestern upbringing but I had no idea what Zagat was until that SNL skit.

However, now that I live in, you know, a city, I see it the time all the time. I don't use it or pay it much mind whether or not I see their logo's sticker on a restaurant but assume Google "buying" them will make it somewhat more useful to me. And since I am often wishing 'won't somebody give me Yelp's benefits without me having to actually depend on the average poster on Yelp', this sounds at least "promising" to me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:52 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's not a "scare quote" if it purports to be directly reported discourse.
posted by spitbull at 3:37 PM on September 8, 2011

Yes, I didn't understand at the time. Why people keep favoriting my idiot comment, I couldn't say.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:18 PM on September 8, 2011

griphus: here you go:

+------------------+
|                  |
|  ♥               |
|        ∩     ♫   |
|     ö(|||)-      |
|       ```        |
|                  |
| Don't "Bee" Evil |
+------------------+

posted by aubilenon at 4:34 PM on September 8, 2011 [5 favorites]

PrntScrn
Run paint
Ctrl+v
Ctrl+s tattooidea29.png
posted by griphus at 4:41 PM on September 8, 2011

I really hope that Google's SMS search will return restaurant ratings at some point. Using Yelp is actually one of the main reasons I pay $20/mo for a smart phone plan right now.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:57 PM on September 8, 2011

According to a sticker proudly displayed at the drive up window of a local KFC, Zagat thinks KFC has the "best fried chicken." I know this because my idiot 11 year old nephew concurs, every hour, on the hour, at least every other day he visits me. What shills!
posted by paulsc at 9:39 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]