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Uber is using its ride data to recommend restaurants

uber restaurant guide
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If you took a bunch of pins and stuck them in a map of any city to show all the start and finish points of Uber rides, many of the clusters would be around popular cafes, restaurants, and bars.

Having already realized this, Uber decided to utilize all that juicy rider trip data to create its very own restaurant guide.

The ride-hailing company points out that while many of these eateries and watering holes may have already come to the attention of city folks thanks to recommendations from critics and review sites, it’s clear that Uber riders have also uncovered a few cool places that are yet to land on the radar.

On the flip side, Uber admits that its guide “may miss many stellar places” such as “your regular happy hour spot next to the office,” but emphasizes that its suggestions “rely entirely on Uber trip data sorted by time of day, type of vehicle option, and other filters.”

With that in mind, and considering there are no rider reviews to peruse, it’s probably wise to think of the guide as a list of suggestions rather than endorsements.

At launch you’ll find 12 cities in Uber’s new guide, including Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and San Francisco. To make it a little more interesting – and useful – it’s divided the listings into various categories such as “most popular,” “up and coming,” “weekend picks,” and “date night spots.”

Uber promises it’ll be keeping an eye on its ride data and using it to update the locations on a regular basis, so be sure to keep on checking back again for information on the latest rankings and new spots to visit.

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Trevor Mogg
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