TikTok is going after Yelp and Google Maps with an in-app restaurant guide
TikTok has launched 'Must Eat,' an in-app restaurant guide that aggregates user reviews and videos to compete with platforms like Yelp and Google Maps. The feature allows users to search for local dining, make reservations, and bookmark locations.
Why it matters
This move signals TikTok's expansion from a social media platform into a utility-based search engine, directly challenging established local discovery services.
TikTok is launching an in-app restaurant guide in a challenge to other platforms like Yelp and even Google Maps.
The company on Wednesday announced the launch of Must Eat, a new section of the TikTok app built on 40 million posts, reviews, and comments about dining on the platform. The new feature uses videos and discussions of buzzy local businesses to create restaurant recommendation guides. Users can leave reviews of restaurants, call and make reservations, and search for nearby businesses on a map.
At a launch event this week, TikTok US CEO Adam Presser called Must Eat “the compilation of all of the conversation that’s happening on the TikTok platform across creators, restaurateurs, [and] individuals” who make videos or leave comments about local restaurants. Among the featured restaurants in New York are Golden Diner (home of very viral pancakes) and hard-to-reserve spots like Semma and Via Carota.
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