Google Maps has always been able to guide us to great restaurants, but from today it’ll attempt to give you a helping hand with what to order.
The popular navigation app will start highlighting the most popular dishes at restaurants, which it says will give foodies more confidence when deciding on what to eat. Google says the AI-powered feature will match dish names with photos and reviews posted by other users, in order to glean an idea of what the regulars grab when they drop in.
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Combined with the existing Explore tools that provide a local guide to the happenin’ spots, to tools that inform potential diners how busy the restaurant is likely to be at certain times of the day, it seems the only thing left for Google to do now is actually eat the food for you.
Google also highlights new Maps features that will translate dish reviews for users within the app if they don’t speak the language, while diners can also post their own photos, complete with dish names, in order to let others know what’s whetting appetites.
In a press release, Google says: “To use the feature, simply pull up a restaurant on Google Maps to find its popular dishes in the overview tab. Dive into the menu tab to scroll through all the most talked-about meals. Tap on a popular dish to explore reviews and photos posted by other restaurant-goers.”
The feature is rolling out on the Android version of Google Maps from 5pm on May 30, while iOS users will have to wait for Google to launch the feature in the coming months.
Google writes: “The popular dishes feature is powered by a machine learning algorithm that matches dish names, provided by Google Maps users, with relevant photos and reviews. This creates a handy arrangement of a restaurant’s most-talked about meals right at your fingertips in Google Maps. In a country where you can’t read the language? Maps will also translate the dish reviews for you too.
“Simply pull up a restaurant on Google Maps to find its popular dishes in the overview tab. Feeling extra peckish? Dive into the menu tab to scroll through all the most talked-about meals. Tap on a popular dish to explore reviews and photos posted by other restaurant-goers.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
