Last week, I had the incredible honor of attending Google Connect Live 2025 in NYC! When I first received the invitation, I was genuinely surprised. It was only while exploring the “You” tab on Google Maps that I discovered I rank in the top 10% of reviewers for vegan restaurants, secondhand shops, and bars. This recognition made me reflect on why I started this journey in the first place.
Why I Started Reviewing
Ten years ago, I made the decision to go vegan for the animals. I no longer wanted to contribute to animal suffering, and I fully embraced the vegan lifestyle. However, I constantly heard the same complaint from friends and family: “It’s so hard to know where to eat as a vegan.”
That’s when I discovered the power of Google reviews. I began documenting my experiences at restaurants, specifically noting:
- Which places offered vegan options
- The quality of those options
- Restaurants willing to accommodate special requests
- Hidden vegan gems in unexpected places
Many people aren’t comfortable asking for special accommodations if they don’t know it’s possible. I wanted to eliminate that barrier and make vegan dining accessible to everyone.
Going Global
As someone who travels frequently, I noticed the stark difference between places like NYC, where vegan options are clearly labeled, and countries like Vietnam, where many vegan-friendly dishes exist but aren’t marked as such. This was before Google Maps had a search bar in reviews, so finding the word “vegan” in comments was challenging.
I encouraged my friends and family to leave reviews mentioning vegan options too, creating a network of information for plant-based eaters worldwide. While Maps has come a long way in making this information accessible, I’m still often the first to mark vegan options in smaller towns and suburbs.
Finding My Purpose at Connect Live
At Connect Live 2025, I was deeply inspired by fellow Local Guides who were mapping road conditions and accessibility options. It made me realize that what seemed like “just normal reviewing” to me was actually much more purposeful.
I was reviewing for the animals. Every vegan option I highlight makes plant-based eating more accessible, potentially saving animal lives as people discover how easy it can be to find delicious vegan food around the world.
This is my mission, and I will continue reviewing with renewed purpose and passion. What started as a personal choice has become a global contribution, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of the Local Guides community.
What’s your Local Guides mission? I’d love to hear what inspires you to contribute!
I need to learn how to make one of those 
you in connect live 2025! Thanks 
, you are doing great 
keep contributing and keep motivating others to do so. Due to very less or few options provided by restaurant to vegan food this is important for us to highlight this option for other who can find easily. Whenever i find veg option in Hotel or resturent listing i become very happy and order my food, i prefer this a lot. But due to low volume of this options many people do not find their diet and if they find it gone beyond their range, many hotel and restaurant converted only veg options to their outlet but due to less Volume and cost effective either they get less engagement or no engagement with their customers. I am very happy that you are contributing on this very important features i will also find those and add it on google map. Again Thank you so much 
for this good cause.
