Great food. Great drink. Great people.
That’s really what our tours are all about.
We currently have a team of 11 tour hosts across our five locations, and while every host brings something different to the experience, they all have one thing in common: a genuine love of people, food, drink and great customer service.
Because for us, being a great host isn’t simply about knowing lots of facts about a city.
Personality is critical. History can be taught.
So, how do we select our hosts?
Well… it’s pretty thorough, to be honest!
It starts with a coffee, a drink or a chat with Gareth.
This first meeting is as much about getting to know the person as it is about talking about Walking Food Tours UK. We want to understand their background, what makes them tick, what they enjoy about food and drink and, importantly, how comfortable they are talking to and connecting with people.
If we both think it could be a good fit, the next step is for the potential host to join one of our tours as a guest.
And that’s important.
Before you can host one of our tours, we want you to experience exactly what our guests experience.
You get to see how the tour flows, how we work with our independent venue partners, how the food and drink are introduced and, most importantly, how much interaction there is between the host and the guests.
So then they start hosting tours?
Nope. Not yet!
There’s still a fair bit to do.
Our new hosts then join several tours alongside experienced hosts. These are paid roles, because we value people’s time, and it’s an important part of the training process.
Initially, they’re there to observe and learn.
Then they gradually take on more responsibility – perhaps introducing a venue, talking about a particular dish or drink, helping with guests and getting increasingly involved in the running of the tour.
It’s very much learn by doing.
Eventually, they’re ready to take the lead.
But even then, we don’t simply send them off on their own.
Before hosting their first solo tour, they lead a tour alongside an experienced host who is there to support, encourage and provide feedback.
Only when we’re happy – and the host is happy – do they go solo.
But what actually makes a great host?
This is where things get interesting.
Knowledge is important, of course.
But it’s not everything.
We want people who are naturally curious. People who enjoy meeting strangers. People who can have a conversation with a table of people they’ve only just met and make them feel comfortable.
Our tours are social experiences.
We don’t want guests to feel like they’re being lectured to for three hours. We want them to feel like they’ve spent an afternoon or evening exploring a city with someone who genuinely loves the place.
That’s why our hosts are encouraged to be themselves.
Every host has their own personality, sense of humour, stories and interests. We don’t want 11 hosts delivering exactly the same experience from a script.
The key things are the same – great food and drink, brilliant independent businesses, fascinating stories and outstanding customer service – but how our hosts bring those things to life is up to them.
A few things you might not know about our hosts…
They live locally
Our hosts aren’t simply people who have read a guidebook about the city.
They live locally and regularly eat and drink in the places we’re showcasing.
They know the streets, the neighbourhoods and the independent businesses – and they’re often discovering somewhere new themselves.
They don’t just talk about food
Our hosts love food and drink, but they also love people.
They’ll ask questions, find out what guests are interested in and adapt the conversation accordingly.
Birthday? Anniversary? First visit to the city? Big food lover? Wine enthusiast? Prefer beer?
Those little details matter.
They don’t typically eat while hosting
Don’t worry – they normally eat beforehand!
Their job while hosting is to make sure you have the best possible experience.
That means keeping an eye on timings, checking everyone is happy, making sure dietary requirements are looked after and helping the venues deliver the experience we’ve promised.
They’re constantly learning
Food and drink never stands still.
New restaurants open. Old favourites change. New producers emerge. Menus evolve.
So do our hosts.
We encourage them to try new places, taste new things, share recommendations and keep developing their knowledge.
And they’re perfectly happy to say “I don’t know”.
Because nobody knows everything.
Being curious enough to find out is much more important to us than pretending to have all the answers.
They build relationships with our venues
Our independent venue partners are a huge part of what we do.
Our hosts get to know the people behind the businesses, understand what makes each venue special and develop relationships with the teams they work alongside.
Because for us, it’s not simply about taking guests somewhere to eat.
It’s about helping guests understand why that place matters.
And the learning doesn’t stop once they go solo…
Guest feedback is hugely important to us.
We listen to what guests say after their tours, we look at reviews and we also use mystery shops to help us understand what is working and where we can improve.
As the team grows, we also hold training and coaching sessions where hosts can share ideas, experiences and recommendations.
And that’s something we really value.
Our hosts learn from us, but we learn from our hosts too.
They’re out there every week talking to guests, visiting venues and seeing our cities through the eyes of visitors.
That gives us a huge amount of insight into how we can continue to improve.
They’re hosts, not tour guides
Perhaps this is the most important point of all.
We call them hosts deliberately.
A traditional tour guide might take you around a city and tell you its history.
Our hosts certainly tell stories about the places we’re visiting, but their role is much broader than that.
They’re there to welcome you.
To make you feel comfortable.
To introduce you to great independent businesses.
To make you laugh.
To answer questions.
To listen.
To share their passion.
And ultimately, to make sure you leave the tour thinking:
“That was a brilliant few hours.”
That’s what being a Walking Food Tours UK host is all about.
Fancy becoming one of our hosts?
We’re always interested in meeting great people.
You don’t necessarily need to be a professional tour guide.
You don’t need to know every fact about your city.
You do need personality, enthusiasm, curiosity and a genuine passion for people, food, drink and great experiences.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Who knows? Your next coffee with Gareth might be the start of something rather tasty…
