The move sees the check-in service drawn into competition with Yelp, but the company insists its new feature is unlike any offered by its competitors.
© PA Images / Kin Cheung/AP
"Instead of other sites where every place gets 3.5 stars, we come up with our scores using the same Foursquare magic that powers Explore," Foursquare wrote in a blog post.
"We look at signals like tips, likes, dislikes, popularity, loyalty, local expertise, and nearly 3 billion check-ins from over 25 million people worldwide."
Users logged into Foursquare's Explore can view or assign a rating between 1 and 10 beside local bars, restaurants and stores. The scores will also appear online on the company's website.
Foursquare is gradually shifting towards becoming a local search engine, with prices, menus and opening times recently added to the service. Its website relaunched last month with a search function for finding local businesses.
