by Google Maps now shows photos of the most popular dishes at restaurants in a new tab, possibly due to an experimental test run…
For some time, Google Maps has shown crowdsourced pics of the dishes from restaurants. But now, there’s a new, dedicated tab displaying diners’ most favorite items.
Google Maps Most Popular Restaurant Dishes Images Start Appearing
The new section shows-up on the Menu page on restaurants’ Maps listings. It’s appropriately called “Popular Dishes.” And, several people report seeing it; although not everyone will.
It seems like the tab information comes from scanning reviews, identifying the most commonly-mentioned dishes. Maps then pairs it up with photos.
At this time, it isn’t clear whether or not this is done automatically through some machine system. Or, if humans are involved. But, Google does enjoy a highly sophisticated image recognition technology, so that could definitely play a large role.
People seeing the Popular Dishes tab can suggest edits. However, many of the pictured items are unlabeled because the people posting the reviews did add captions.
This could be another step by Google toward adopting practices by rivals Yelp and TripAdvisor. If so, it might prove a very useful addition.
When did Google Maps get these crowd sourced menu pics? So valuable! pic.twitter.com/hOUOIIfbj9
— Taylor Wimberly (@wimbet) May 3, 2019
