In the late 70s, two Americans living in Paris found themselves wishing for a restaurant resource that reflected the opinions of their foodie friends rather than those of professional critics or mystery reviewers.
The couple, Nina and Tim Zagat, ended up creating the guide they’d always wanted themselves. The subsequent success of what became the Zagat Restaurant Guide introduced people to the idea of user-generated content and helped to democratise restaurant criticism forever.
But after a decade behind a paywall, and an acquisition and rebrand overseen by Google in 2015, the team behind Zagat felt that the focus and identity of the brand had shifted away from what was important: the voices of its community.
In 2018, The Infatuation acquired Zagat with plans to return to the brand’s roots via a new user-generated review platform, which finally launched earlier this year.
The Zagat team brought in Brooklyn-based studio Franklyn to …