X

Google is selling Zagat to restaurant reviewer The Infatuation

The famed name in the restaurant industry will remain a separate brand.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
Google Sells Zagat

Google is selling Zagat. 

 Getty

Google has signed a deal to sell Zagat to a restaurant review site called The Infatuation, the companies said Monday.

"Iconic brands don't become available very often, and Zagat is about as iconic as it gets," Chris Stang, CEO of The Infatuation, said in a statement.    

Google bought restaurant reviewer Zagat in 2011 for $151 million and incorporated its content into Google Maps and other services. A possible sale had been rumored earlier this year.

The Infatuation didn't release the purchase price. The nine-year-old site includes in-house reviewers across cities including Chicago, New York and San Francisco. It plans to keep Zagat as a separate brand. 

"Zagat has helped us provide useful and relevant dining results for users across our various products," said Jen Fitzpatrick, vice president of product and engineering at Google, said in the statement. "The Infatuation is an innovative company that will be a terrific home for the Zagat brand."

First published March 5 at 7:34 a.m. PT.
Update, 8:21 a.m. PT: Confirmation of sale and comments added.