Google Maps has taken its 360-degree Street View technology indoors to nearly a third of the 294 eateries participating in NYC Restaurant Week, which runs from July 22 through Aug. 16. The initiative is?part of its Business Photos program.
In what initially began as a trial program in May 2011, Google uses its Street View technology to capture and produce 360-degree panoramic imagery of restaurants, caf?s, stores and other businesses? interiors, which are then linked to local listings and search results on Google.? According to a Google spokesperson, an estimated 100,000 businesses around the world are using Business Photos.
The tech giant paired with NYC & Company, the city?s official marketing and tourism organization and planner of the twice-a-year restaurant promotion, to launch the interactive Restaurant Week listing, which displays a virtual map of New York City dotted with participating restaurants and their local listings.?
In addition to virtually wandering through dining rooms, potential Restaurant Week customers can find Zagat ratings and user reviews, browse for eateries by location, and get directions, all in one stop on Google Maps.?
?A big part of Google Maps is local information,? said Sierra Lovelace, a spokesperson for Google.? ?It?s an application used by people for more than getting from place A to place B.? ??
The catch is that the 360-degree photos, which give the search engine an edge over its local listing rival, Yelp, are funded by the participating restaurants.? The photos are taken with fish-eye cameras by Google?s ?Trusted Photographers,? a group of independent businesses selected by Google ? and according to Tim Baldwin, an employee of Google?s Trusted Photographers program, each photo session costs between $300 and $800.? Participation in the program is optional.
The interactive Restaurant Week listing was launched at a time when Google is taking steps to increase the visibility of its Business Photos program and expand its services in the local listings space.? On July 10, Google launched a new feature similar to Yelp called Explore, which enables users to search local restaurants, shops and caf?s and rate and read reviews.
The Business Photos program gets mixed reviews.? David Oh, the General Manager of Bann, a Korean restaurant in Hell?s Kitchen, was excited about the program.? ?I definitely think it will be very helpful,? said Oh of Bann?s sweeping 360-degree panorama, which is also featured on the restaurant?s website. ?On the other hand, Thalia, a New American restaurant in New York?s Theater District, was disappointed with the program.? Avi Camchi, the restaurant?s Vice President and General Manager, said that despite an over hour-long photo shoot, Thalia?s 360-imagery only shows the restaurant?s lounge area, and not the dining room.
Other eateries think the program will help them attract new customers during Restaurant Week.? According to Emily Mayarth, NYC & Company?s Director of Communications, over 210,000 reservations were booked on OpenTable last summer during the three-week promotion.? ?Restaurant Week gives a little boost to restaurants where there?s a slight decline in regular customers,? she says.
?We are seeing an explosion in fine dining restaurants as the level of sophistication of diners in general has increased due to the Food Network and other recent attention on culinary culture,? said Andrew Mosel, a spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association.? While the association does not track the gross revenue of restaurant sales specifically in New York City, there has been a trend in rising sales throughout the state.? New York restaurants are projected to register $33.6 billion in sales across the state this year, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Talk Like a Pirate Day raiders iOS 6 Features iOS 6 bank of america Yunel Escobar Eye Black Cruel Summer
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন