Google Inc. has acquired Zagat, a popular publisher of widely used ratings of restaurants and other businesses in the USA.

«With Zagat, we gain a world-class team that has more experience in consumer based-surveys, recommendations and reviews than anyone else in the industry,» said Marissa Mayer, a Google vice president responsible for the tech giant’s efforts in local, maps and location services, in a blog post.

«Moving forward, Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering — delighting people with their impressive array of reviews, ratings and insights, while enabling people everywhere to find extraordinary (and ordinary) experiences around the corner and around the world.»

With this purchase, Google will better rival competitors like Yelp, Yahoo and Bing in local search. Google has recently bought Motorola Mobility, which was the biggest deal in the company’s history. Currently, the search giant is making a fall-spring clean closing the out-of-date apps to optimize its services.

Zagat, founded by by husband and wife Tim and Nina Zagat 32 years ago, long before internet appeared, has been gathering information from people everywhere. Its pocket-sized guides became iconic and the brand ‘Zagat rated’ stickers has been popping up on many restaurant windows in many major cities.

According to the statement made by Zagats, the couple is sure that Google shares their “belief in user-generated content and their commitment to accuracy and fairness in providing users with the information needed to make smart decisions about where to eat, shop and travel.»

The Zagats become Google employees while remaining co-chairs of the business. The deal price is not disclosed.