Google Maps F&B Market Research via API
Gemini cannot query Google Maps directly. Search API returns structured local pack data with ratings, reviews, business types at $0.005/query.
Google Maps contains the most comprehensive F&B (food and beverage) market data available: restaurant counts by cuisine, rating distributions, review volumes, price levels, operating hours, and geographic density. Gemini and ChatGPT cannot query this data directly -- they browse, not query. A search API returns structured Google Maps data as JSON at $0.005/query, enabling systematic F&B market research.
The data available in Google Maps for F&B research
- Business count by cuisine type and location
- Rating distribution (4.5+ star density indicates competitive market)
- Review count (proxy for foot traffic and popularity)
- Price level indicators ($, $$, $$$, $$$$)
- Operating hours (identify underserved time slots)
- Address clustering (identify food deserts and saturated zones)
Why LLMs cannot do this directly
When a GeminiAI user asked for F&B market research across Google Maps, Reviews, and YouTube, Gemini could not deliver. LLMs browse the web -- they load a page, read text, move on. They cannot issue structured queries to Google Maps and iterate over results programmatically. A search API bridges this gap: it queries Google Maps and returns structured JSON that can be processed, filtered, and aggregated systematically.
Basic F&B market scan
import requests, os
HEADERS = {"x-api-key": os.environ["SCAVIO_API_KEY"]}
def scan_fb_market(city: str, cuisine_types: list) -> dict:
"""Scan F&B market density and quality by cuisine type."""
market_data = {}
for cuisine in cuisine_types:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers=HEADERS,
json={
"query": f"{cuisine} restaurants in {city}",
"search_engine": "google_maps",
"num_results": 20,
},
timeout=10,
)
results = resp.json().get("local_results", [])
ratings = [r.get("rating", 0) for r in results if r.get("rating")]
reviews = [r.get("reviews", 0) for r in results if r.get("reviews")]
market_data[cuisine] = {
"count": len(results),
"avg_rating": sum(ratings) / len(ratings) if ratings else 0,
"avg_reviews": sum(reviews) / len(reviews) if reviews else 0,
"high_rated": len([r for r in ratings if r >= 4.5]),
"price_levels": [r.get("price", "") for r in results],
}
return market_data
# Research 10 cuisine types in one city: 10 queries = $0.05
market = scan_fb_market("Austin TX", [
"thai", "mexican", "italian", "japanese", "korean",
"indian", "vietnamese", "mediterranean", "bbq", "vegan",
])Competitive density analysis
def competitive_density(city: str, target_cuisine: str, neighborhoods: list) -> list:
"""Map competitive density by neighborhood for a specific cuisine."""
density_map = []
for neighborhood in neighborhoods:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers=HEADERS,
json={
"query": f"{target_cuisine} restaurant in {neighborhood} {city}",
"search_engine": "google_maps",
"num_results": 20,
},
timeout=10,
)
results = resp.json().get("local_results", [])
ratings = [r.get("rating", 0) for r in results if r.get("rating")]
density_map.append({
"neighborhood": neighborhood,
"restaurant_count": len(results),
"avg_rating": sum(ratings) / len(ratings) if ratings else 0,
"gap_indicator": "underserved" if len(results) < 5 else "saturated" if len(results) > 15 else "moderate",
})
return sorted(density_map, key=lambda x: x["restaurant_count"])
# Check 8 neighborhoods: 8 queries = $0.04
density = competitive_density("Austin TX", "korean", [
"North Austin", "South Austin", "East Austin", "Downtown",
"West Campus", "Mueller", "Domain", "Cedar Park",
])Review-based market intelligence
def review_intelligence(city: str, cuisine: str) -> dict:
"""Extract market intelligence from review patterns."""
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers=HEADERS,
json={
"query": f"best {cuisine} restaurant {city}",
"search_engine": "google_maps",
"num_results": 20,
},
timeout=10,
)
results = resp.json().get("local_results", [])
# Segment by performance
top_performers = [r for r in results if r.get("rating", 0) >= 4.5 and r.get("reviews", 0) > 200]
struggling = [r for r in results if r.get("rating", 0) < 4.0]
new_entries = [r for r in results if r.get("reviews", 0) < 50]
return {
"total_market": len(results),
"top_performers": [{
"name": r.get("title"),
"rating": r.get("rating"),
"reviews": r.get("reviews"),
"price": r.get("price", "unknown"),
} for r in top_performers],
"struggling_count": len(struggling),
"new_entries_count": len(new_entries),
"market_maturity": "mature" if len(top_performers) > 5 else "growing" if len(new_entries) > 5 else "stable",
}Full market research report pipeline
def full_fb_market_report(city: str, target_cuisine: str, neighborhoods: list) -> dict:
"""Generate comprehensive F&B market report for a target cuisine and city."""
report = {
"city": city,
"cuisine": target_cuisine,
"date": str(__import__("datetime").date.today()),
}
# Overall market scan
report["market_overview"] = scan_fb_market(city, [target_cuisine])
# Neighborhood density
report["density_analysis"] = competitive_density(city, target_cuisine, neighborhoods)
# Review intelligence
report["review_intel"] = review_intelligence(city, target_cuisine)
# Identify opportunity
underserved = [n for n in report["density_analysis"] if n["gap_indicator"] == "underserved"]
report["opportunity"] = {
"underserved_neighborhoods": underserved,
"recommendation": f"Consider {underserved[0]['neighborhood']}" if underserved else "Market appears saturated",
}
return report
# Full report: ~30 queries = $0.15 per city-cuisine combination
report = full_fb_market_report("Austin TX", "korean", [
"North Austin", "South Austin", "East Austin", "Downtown",
"West Campus", "Mueller", "Domain", "Cedar Park",
])
print(f"Opportunity: {report['opportunity']['recommendation']}")Cost for comprehensive F&B research
- Single city, 10 cuisines overview: $0.05
- Single cuisine, 8 neighborhoods density: $0.04
- Full market report (1 city, 1 cuisine): $0.15
- Multi-city comparison (5 cities, 1 cuisine): $0.75
- Complete market entry study (5 cities, 10 cuisines, 8 neighborhoods): $5-10
Google Maps data is the most accurate source for F&B market research because it reflects actual operating businesses with real customer ratings. At $0.005/query, systematic market research that would take weeks of manual browsing costs under $10 and runs in minutes.