The Wait Is Almost Over for Zagat Workers

Normally, when a company goes on the block, nervous employees start updating their resumes. But at Zagat Survey, which recently hired Goldman Sachs to handle an anticipated $200 million sale, they may stick around to see what the future brings.

That's because the average Zagat employee has been updating, and sending out, his resume all along. "When I worked there, every member of the junior staff and a considerable amount of the senior staff were actively looking for new jobs," says a former staffer.

The reason for that is the owners. Even though their background is in law, not publishing, Tim and Nina Zagat are known as micromanagers who "run the show in most every regard," according to Eater. The intensity of their involvement is said to be what caused their son, Ted, to resign his post as president and COO a year ago. He explained his exit to coworkers by saying that his parents are "strong personalities."

"They're really old-fashioned, in a bad way," says the former staffer. "The way they work is antiquated and weird."

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Zagats' attitude toward the internet: With the trend toward freeing up content gathering momentum by the week, the Zagats have continued to insist that their subscription model is the only way to go. The Times delicately refers to the company's online business as "underleverged."

"They really don't get blogging," says the ex-employee. "Their audience already skews old. If they don't get on the web bandwagon soon, they're screwed."

Although it didn't affect the bottom line, the Zagats' reluctance to delegate proved an issue at a 2006 company party held on the roof of their Central Park West townhouse. Despite the open bar, the hosts didn't think to rent portable toilets for the occasion, nor did they want employees entering their home to use the bathrooms. Instead, suffering underlings were instructed to "hold it."