Does anyone spend time nowadays learning routes by heart anymore? Probably not. That’s because we have navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze, so why would we bother? With just a few taps in those apps, we can learn anything we want about our surroundings, such as places to visit, nearby tech stores, and a lot more.
But what can you do if you are forced to stop your car in a town you’ve never been before to get some gas, but you also want to get a bite to eat? There’s no denying that there are lots of expensive restaurants out there, and money doesn’t magically fall from the sky for any of us. Well, guess what? Google Maps can lend you a helping hand in such situations as well!
How to find affordable restaurants in Google Maps near you
There are specific and simple steps you need to take to find an affordable place to eat in a new town you’re in, as you use the powers of the Google Maps navigation app. Here are the steps you need to take:
Step 1: Open Google Maps by selecting the app from your phone’s menu or downloading it from the Google Play Store. Alternatively, you can head over to the Google Maps website from your laptop/desktop PC, just in case you’re hesitant about installing anything on your phone. Maybe aliens or the global elite are watching; who knows?
Step 2: It’s time to type your location or the area where you need to find affordable restaurants in the search bar of the app.
Step 3: Now, you have to search for those restaurants by typing “restaurants” in the search bar of the app and hitting the Enter button. In an instant, a list of restaurants will appear in the app, which is in accordance with the area that interests you.
Step 4: Select the “Filter” button, which usually appears as three horizontal lines or a funnel icon. You can find it near the search bar of the app, so you won’t have to spend too much time wondering where it is.
Step 5: It’s now time to set a price range adjusted for your wallet/bank account. First, you have to find a “Price” or “Price range” filter. The next phase is to adjust the slider to set your preferred price range for restaurants. If you want more cheaper options, you need to move that slider to the lower end.
Step 6: It’s time to browse the results and enjoy the paradise of the poor! After you apply the filter, you have to browse through the list of restaurants that meet your criteria. The ones prioritized will be those with lower price ranges.
Step 7: If you don’t like to read, now’s the best time to reconsider! Go ahead and read those reviews and check the photos about those individual restaurants to make sure that everything’s ok. People usually tell the truth in such situations, which means that you should definitely trust those reviews.
Step 8: Select a specific restaurant to see more details, such as the menu content, the hours of operation, and any extra information. You may never know when you can find information that interests you.
Step 9: You can also feel free to take advantage of the “Explore” tab that some versions of Google Maps have in order to find recommendations based on your own preferences, such as the price range.
Step 10: Some of the restaurants out there might also offer discounts or special offers. Feel free to check for that information in the restaurant details.
Step 11: Once a restaurant you find meets your expectations, it’s time to use the navigation feature to get the right directions.
Feel free to explore the wonders of Google Maps, as there’s a huge world out there waiting for us!
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.