Zagat Puts Premium E-mail on the Menu

December 3, 2001

New York-based travel and dining-information publisher Zagat Survey has hopped on the premium content train with the launch of Zagat Wire, a paid e-mail newsletter serving up reviews, shopping discounts and restaurant information.

As part of a push to expand its Web operations, Zagat Survey said the $14.95 per year e-mail product would be a supplementary feature to its main Web site, which remains free.

The Zagat Wire e-mail newsletter would also publish information on restaurant openings and chef changes, as well as industry news and food gossip from six major cities, including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Also on the menu for paid subscribers would be the opportunity to rate and review new restaurants as soon as they open and instant access and 15 percent discounts to Zagat books and merchandise.

The launch of the newsletter also comes with a new-look Zagat Web site, a redesign that includes a new user interface and navigational tools

In addition to restaurant guides available in 45 markets, Zagat also offers surveys covering hotels, resorts, spas, nightclubs other entertainment and shopping resources.

A privately-held firm co-founded by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, Zagat is backed by General Atlantic Partners, Microsoft's founding CTO Nathan Myhrvold, and investment banker Nancy Peretsman.