Becoming a Pokémon GO master is surprisingly hard work, but even the most dedicated trainers need to take a break and catch a bite to eat. However, just because you're sitting down to grab some food doesn't mean the eternal quest for Pokémon has to end.
Enter Yelp's new PokéStop Filter. Using the popular restaurant and business-finding tool, Pokémon GO players can now sort through search results according to whether or not businesses have a PokéStop nearby. All it takes is searching for a type of business (like restaurant, for example) and then hitting the "PokéStop Nearby" filter option at the top.
The feature is brand new, and Yelp is even looking for Pokémon GO players to help improve the entire experience.
"In order to leave no PokéStop unturned, we need your help!" writes the company in a recent blog post. "To identify a business that's in the vicinity of a PokéStop, check-in to that location on Yelp and answer a quick question to let fellow Yelpers and trainers know that this is the place they want to be. In just the past 24 hours, Yelpers have already identified thousands of PokéStops! With your help, we'll become Pokémon masters in no time."
The PokéStop filter for Yelp is currently enabled on iOS and Android in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and can be used either through the Yelp website or through the Yelp app.
So, why is this a big deal for Pokémon GO players? PokéStops, for those not in the know, are landmarks or locations that, when clicked on in the game, reward the player with various items like essential Pokéballs, potions and more. Players can also use items like lures to attract Pokémon to a nearby PokéStop, making it a hotspot for players to congregate.
For hardcore Pokémon GO players (of which there are many), being able to eat at a restaurant while regularly capitalizing on a nearby PokéStop is a fairly ingenious idea. It's essentially killing two Pidgeys with one stone, and for those who are trying to become the best there ever was, every minute that's not spent acquiring items or capturing more Pokémon is a minute wasted.
Yelp is far from the only business capitalizing on Pokémon GO mania. From stores offering discounts to players to upcoming paid sponsorships from businesses like McDonald's, the insane popularity of Pokémon GO's augmented world is making everybody in the real world take notice.
