What began 20 years ago as a hobby -- a bunch of friends praising or pooh-poohing restaurants -- has turned into a series of popular guidebooks often indispensable to eaters across the country.

Published by Tim and Nina Zagat, the Zagat Survey, which began as two typed pages rating New York restaurants, now covers 45 cities.

The Zagats also are planning to expand their Web site this month. The address is www.zagat.com.