A group-buying program by Zagat and DealOn launches today in New York. Called Zagat Exclusives, it will provide regular discounts of limited quantities at Zagat-rated restaurants in major metropolitan areas. New York’s midtown historic ’21’ Club is just a starting point, and the program is expected to expand to Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. From Bryan McGuire, General Manager of ’21’ Club:

“We are excited for the Zagat brand to lead our first foray into group buying. This partnership will offer guests the opportunity to experience the incomparable cuisine, service and atmosphere of ’21’ at exceptional values. We look forward to welcoming Zagat Exclusive diners, and we’re confident that they will return for more meals with us in the future.”

Offers start at a fixed price with no minimum group purchase required. The more people who buy the deal, the lesser the price. Purchasers will pay the lowest amount reached at the end of the selling period. According Tim Zagat, CEO, Zagat Survey:

“Zagat is harnessing the increasingly popular group buying model to provide the best possible deals for our customers and restaurateurs. Diners who are passionate about where they eat will have confidence in knowing that these specials will be offered only in Zagat-Rated restaurants; and restaurants will be able to attract savvy foodies who, if satisfied, are likely to become repeat customers.”

This is the latest in a string of deal offerings, with a group effect similar to Groupon’s. Earlier today saw the expansion of LivingSocial‘s Daily Deals to 25 more cities.

As we’ve mentioned several times, hyperlocal trends are attracting a number of industries, many of which can take advantage of mobile tools and consumer apps. As we saw with the early days of the iPhone, the industries that were anxious to launch apps were those related to the dining industry. We’re seeing these same early adopters tacking on location-based deal offerings, leveraging new monetization opportunities.