Nina Zagat
Co-founder and co-chair, Zagat Survey
www.zagat.com
In 1979, lawyers Nina and Tim Zagat took an informal survey of their friends’ restaurant experiences.
They didn’t know it, but they were launching a brand—and giving “consumer-generated content” its first major platform, more than two decades ahead of the current trend.
Today, Zagat Survey (www.zagat.com) provides consumer-based information on dining, travel, and leisure activities in North America, Europe, and Asia. Nina oversees expansion into new markets and publishing platforms, including the survey’s Web and wireless ventures. Tim focuses on the expansion into new content categories and also cultivates thousands of corporate relationships.
How Zagat Survey Got its Start
Nina: “It didn’t happen all at once. Tim and I started surveying our friends as a hobby - just for fun and to share what everyone had to say.
“We were members of a wine tasting group, and everybody had been talking about the importance of empowering diners and providing a platform on which they could share their experiences. So at one of the dinners, Tim suggested that everybody write down a list of 10 friends so that we could survey them about their favorite places to dine.”
Hobby Too Costly? Turn It Into a Business!
“After we did this for several years, the costs kept escalating because we were giving out the results to anyone who wanted them. I thought we should figure out some way to cover our expenses. Our first idea was to go to the major publishers in New York. Through connections from our law practices, we had introductions to many of the major publishing firms.
“They all turned us down—publishers thought no one would be interested in what people other than critics had to say. People want to hear from experts, they said. But we weren’t about to abandon our idea, so we decided to publish ourselves.”
Be Passionate—But Practical
“The most important ingredient is passion. Of course you need a clear vision for your business, but you also have to believe in it and be prepared to do whatever is needed to succeed.
“We were absolutely passionate about Zagat Survey when no one else believed in our idea. It made all the difference that we could support ourselves as lawyers while we tested our business concept. Tim went to Zagat Survey full-time first, and then I joined a few years later.”
Dealing with the Naysayers
“Our biggest challenge was taking the survey from a hobby to a business and dealing with the naysayers. But there was no way to stop us because we really believed that organized word-of-mouth—having thousands of people share their experiences, and putting them together in an organized way—would help consumers make smart decisions based on the things that mattered to them most: separate ratings for food, decor, service, and cost along with pithy, witty comments from other savvy diners. We also knew that our surveyors could cover far more places than any reviewer, and with more anonymity.”
From One Guide to Many
“Our first book—the 1983 Zagat New York City Restaurant Survey—came out in November 1982. Tim and I continued to practice law full time for several years after that.
“From that one New York City restaurant guide, we developed a worldwide business. Today we rate restaurants in 85 cities. We cover hotels, resorts, and spas in 104 countries and have nightlife reviews in 23 cities. We’ve expanded our content to include sites and attractions, shopping, movies and golf. It started with Tim and me, and now we have a staff of 120 in our office at Columbus Circle and about 180 in other locations around the world.”
Reinventing the Ways Information Comes in—and Goes Out
“We started off with two-sided legal sized pages. We had to print the questionnaires and then mail them out. Our surveyors mailed them back and we got the data processed. It was a huge barrage of paper. Now the whole process is done on Zagat.com.
“The way we deliver results to readers has changed just as dramatically. What once appeared only in book form is now at Zagat.com and gets delivered to Zagat To Go for mobile devices like BlackBerrys. Our content can work on almost any platform, and we want to deliver it in whatever form people find useful.”
Best Practices Behind Zagat’s Growth
“From the beginning we’ve been uncompromising about accuracy. We’ve built up a huge amount of trust by being extremely careful about what we do and making sure we thoroughly check all the facts.
“To put that principle into action, we need local people we can rely on to check facts in places where we don’t have full-time staff members. We also work hard to be transparent in how the surveying is done, and we demand transparency in return: We’re harsh when a restaurant tries to game the system. Our rules make it clear that is not allowed. Restaurants that try to electioneer are likely to get dropped from the guide.”
For Every Situation, the Right Location
“Here’s the power of Zagat Survey: There are times you want a fancy place, and there are times when you want something simple. Maybe you want to take young children to a restaurant with good food, but don’t want to be embarrassed if apple juice gets spilled all over the floor.
“A friend told me she wanted to meet her brother at a restaurant for a quiet conversation, but every place she knew was noisy. So we added an index for quiet conversation. By organizing our information in ways people value, we give consumers more power to make smart decisions. And we keep adapting our system of rating categories as peoples´ tastes and needs change. What makes it all possible is that real people power our content.”
Previous Lives as Attorneys Helped in Business
“Tim’s and my legal backgrounds helped us in many ways. For one thing, we understand the importance of defending the intellectual property of our brand. We guard the Zagat name very carefully. Practicing law has also given us the credibility, discipline, and experience it takes to run the various aspects of such a wide-ranging business.”
Words of Advice: Love What You’re Doing and Believe in it
“To be successful, you have to invest huge amounts of time and effort and be comfortable taking risks. It’s hard—but it’s worth it when you love what you’re doing.
“You also need an excellent team. For us, that team includes editors, survey experts, and people skilled in interactive technology. These people are all committed to excellence; they share our values. The results speak for themselves.”
