For nearly 20 years, Tim and Nina Zagat (pronounced za-GAT, rhymes with “the cat”) have published restaurant guides based on ratings submitted by diners. The distinctive burgundy books are food bibles for many of America’s most culinary blessed cities and for some international destinations as well. ZAGAT surveys are unique in that they rank the various qualities of a restaurant (food, decor, and service) separately based on consumer feedback. The Zagats in recent years have also branched out to survey travelers at US hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, and car rental companies.
With a sale of $ 9.95 and up, the slim and portable guides have become a multi-million dollar company. So why would the Zagats spend $ 1 million to build a website so they can give away their hard work for free?
An article in the “Wall Street Journal” quoted Tim Zagat as saying, “If we didn’t … someone else would find that this was a very efficient way of involving large numbers of people and taking them through the same process as us.” to have.” Not wanting to be another Barnes & Noble or Borders… waiting while an unknown entity like Amazon.com hit them hard, the Zagats have charged the online world, and the result is incredibly good news for New England visitors.
Two of the first restaurant review guides to go completely online are for Boston and Connecticut. Not surprisingly, New England caught two of the top 20 spots online considering the Zagats’ ties to this region. They are both natives of New York. Nina graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Tim from Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both are also graduates of New Haven, Yale Connecticut School of Law. Other destinations for which restaurant survey results and reviews are now online include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Hawaii, London, Long Island , Los Angeles, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Southern New York State, Toronto, and Washington, DC
Other places are coming soon.
The zagat.com website is easy to navigate, and restaurant reviews are just a few clicks away. Taking a closer look at the Boston guide, it’s easy to search for restaurants by any number of Zagat rating criteria, including cuisine, cost, location, and special features. You can also quickly focus using the links in the right column to the reviewers’ top picks for food, decor, service, or cuisine; to listings by kitchen; to an alphabetical directory; or to a list by neighborhood. The top general favorites can also be viewed.
Here are the results of a sample search: When I entered my search criteria, a text box to the right followed my selections, dynamically creating a claim for my request: “I am looking for a restaurant that has a food rating of 20 or plus, it has a decoration rating of 15 or better, it has a service rating of 19 or better, it costs $ 45 or less, it is in Harvard Square. The result when I clicked “Find it for me”: six restaurants to choose from, with Cafe Celador as the best match.
When I clicked on the Cafe Celador link to learn more about this restaurant, I was asked to sign up for a free membership. Membership is free until September 1. What happens after September 1? A fee will be charged yet to be determined, and members will be notified by email and can choose to participate. Sampling the benefits of the free premium now will not compel the visitor in any way. Restaurant rankings, search features, shopping, and many other site features will remain free. What are the benefits of membership?
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I was immediately taken back to the Cafe Celador page, where I could read that “tucked away on a side street, this” romantic “French bistro with the” coziest basement in Cambridge “comes with” charm and flair “and a” consistently “menu. changing ‘featuring’ interesting ‘and’ innovative ‘Italian and Mediterranean dishes… “Sounds delicious! You can also click the “Map” button to see where the restaurant is located and get directions. Also included is pertinent information on things like which credit cards are accepted, smoking policy, and whether takeout is available.
If you were concerned that the Zagats would not benefit from this “give it away for free” adventure, fear not! The “Wall Street Journal” article reported that the new website recorded 80 book sales while they slept during their first night online.
