MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Google has bought the restaurant review service Zagat as it tries to help people connect with local businesses.
The founders, Nina and Tim Zagat, said they will remain a part of the 32-year-old company and will use Google’s resources and expertise to expand. Zagat currently offers reviews and ratings on restaurants in more than 100 cities around the world, based largely on surveys of diners.
Google plans to integrate Zagat with its search and mapping products.
In a blog post Thursday announcing the purchase, Google said Zagat “will be a cornerstone of our local offering.”
Google and other companies are trying to improve their local offerings as a way to sell more ads to local merchants.
Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
Google’s stock rose $2.69, or 0.5 percent, to $536.72 in midday trading Thursday.
Shares of OpenTable Inc., which provides ways to make reservations at restaurants along with diners’ reviews, fell $7.06, or more than 11 percent, to $55.67.
