Tim & Nina Zagat

Tim & Nina Zagat

Tim & Nina Zagat are the co-founders and co-chairs of Zagat Survey, the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based dining, travel and leisure information. Mr. Zagat also serves as the company’s CEO. While, Mrs. Zagat oversees the global expansion of the company into new US and international markets, leisure categories and additional platforms for content, including its web and wireless ventures.

The Zagat Survey was launched in 1979 as a hobby by Tim and Nina, who started to rate restaurants through surveys. The Survey became so popular that it rapidly developed into a full-time publishing enterprise.

Following their initial success in New York City, the Zagats expanded their concept in the mid-1980's to cover dining scenes in other markets, later adding hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, car rental agencies, shopping, nightlife, and most recently, movies.

In 2000, the Zagats were recognized as Entrepreneurs of the Year by both Ernst & Young and Harvard Business School and were inducted in to New York University's Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2001. Mrs. Zagat was also one of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World by the Star Group and was on Crain’s list of Top Tech 100, featuring New York City’s most influential people in technology in 2001.

In the spring of 2002, Mr. Zagat resigned as chairman of NYC & Company, the official marketing, promotion and tourism arm of New York City, a position he held for over three years; a director of the NYC Partnership and Chamber of Commerce; and a board member and vice president of Careers in Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). In addition, Tim has served in various other civic, cultural and charitable capacities over the years.

In addition to her role at Zagat Survey, Mrs. Zagat spent 24 years as an attorney at the distinguished Wall Street law firm, Shearman & Sterling. While there, she worked in the Individual Client Group where she specialized in providing legal services to high net worth individuals. Mrs. Zagat also attended Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine; is a member of the corporation for the Culinary Institute of America; served on the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism; and is a member of the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.

Tim earned an LLB from Yale Law School in 1966 and a B.A. from Harvard College in 1961. Nina earned her L.L.B. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from Vassar College in 1963. Tim and Nina have been married since 1965 and have two sons, Ted and John.

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