After earlier attempts to find a buyer fell through, Zagat has been acquired by Google. According to a post from Google v-p, local, maps and location services Marissa Mayer, “Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering.” In their own post founders Tim and Nina Zagat said the Google acquisition “is the right next step for our employees, our users and for our business, all of which will benefit from the additional resources and reach that Google provides.” The two said they will remain co-chairs of the company.
Few other details of how the acquisition will play out were released although it is clear the emphasis will be on using Zagat content to build local Google search services for restaurants and other entertainment options. I'm incredibly excited to collaborate with Zagat to bring the power of Google search and Google Maps to their products and users, and to bring their innovation, trusted reputation and wealth of experience to our users” Mayer wrote.
The impact on Zagat’s book publishing program is not as clear. Its guides are currently distributed by Perseus.
