title: Google Places API returning zero-results with specified keyword
body: <p>I am currently doing an Android app that returns the closest places to a user's location that fits his specified preferences (pizza, coffee, bar, etc). In order to do that, I am using <a href="https://developers.google.com/places/webservice/search" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nearby Search Requests</a> in the Google Places API. This is how I build my HTTP request:</p>
  
  <pre><code>public String createRequestURL() {
      String requestURL = "";
  
      if ((googleApiKey != "") &amp;&amp; (lat &lt;= MAX_GOOGLE_LAT) &amp;&amp; (lat &gt;=  MIN_GOOGLE_LAT)
              &amp;&amp; (lng &lt;= MAX_GOOGLE_LNG) &amp;&amp; (lng &gt;= MIN_GOOGLE_LNG)) {
          requestURL += "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/nearbysearch/json?";
          requestURL += "location=" + lat + "," + lng;
          requestURL += "&amp;rankby=distance";
          requestURL += "&amp;keyword=" + keyword;
          requestURL += "&amp;opennow";
          requestURL += "&amp;key=" + googleApiKey;
      }
  
      return requestURL;
  }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The test query I am trying to execute is with lat = 45.5017, lng = 73.5673, keyword = "pizza", which is to find all pizza places that are open now near Montreal.</p>
  
  <p>When I execute that query to the API, I get the <code>ZERO_RESULTS</code> status back all the time. I was using the <code>radius</code> field before, but have since read this <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22726446/google-places-api-sort-by-distance">question and answer on stackoverflow</a> and it seems that using <code>rankby</code> in the query and then removing all query responses which are further than X meters in my app is better for what I want my app to do.</p>
  
  <p>Why am I getting the <code>ZERO_RESULTS</code> status back instead of actual pizza, coffee, bar, etc places nearby my location?</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>EDIT:</p>
  
  <p>I have tried the following request as well:</p>
  
  <pre><code>public String createRequestURL() {
      String requestURL = "";
  
      if ((googleApiKey != "") &amp;&amp; (lat &lt;= MAX_GOOGLE_LAT) &amp;&amp; (lat &gt;=  MIN_GOOGLE_LAT)
              &amp;&amp; (lng &lt;= MAX_GOOGLE_LNG) &amp;&amp; (lng &gt;= MIN_GOOGLE_LNG)) {
          requestURL += "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/nearbysearch/json?";
          requestURL += "location=" + lat + "," + lng;
          requestURL += "&amp;rankby=distance";
          requestURL += "&amp;types=food";
          requestURL += "&amp;key=" + googleApiKey;
      }
  
      return requestURL;
  }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>And this simple request is still returning the status <code>ZERO_RESULTS</code>.</p>