Restaurant review guide Zagat may be sold by Google

Google is reportedly looking out of the restaurant review game: is looking to sell of Zagat, according to people close to the matter.

The search giant bought the restaurant review guide in 2011 for $151 million and had ambitious plans for the brand.

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Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering,” the then-Google VP Marissa Mayer said in an announcement post.

She described Zagat as “a world-class team that has more experience in consumer based-surveys, recommendations, and reviews than anyone else in the industry.”

The sale of the restaurant guidebook company would mark a reversal for Alphabet Inc’s Google who had ambitious plans for the brand.

At the time of the Zagat purchase, Yelp dominated the online restaurant review market and so bought Zagat to compete.

Google has utilised Zagat’s data and integrated its restaurants listing into its Maps product and the Zagat website is maintained by a small team of Google employees.

Google has held informal talks with multiple companies about potentially selling Zagat.

The rumoured sale may include the Zagat brand name and its website, according to reports.