One of the questions I’m often asked when hosting a tour is:
“How do you choose the venues for your food tours?”
It’s a great question — and one that goes right to the heart of what we do at Walking Food Tours UK.
In fact, I’ve just finished leading a private tour for a group of 12 guests celebrating a 50th birthday, and this exact question came up during the experience. So I thought I’d share a little behind-the-scenes insight into how we curate our food and drink tour itineraries.
It Starts With a Passion for Independent Food
When I launched Walking Food Tours UK in Chester back in 2018, the number of independent venues we partnered with was much smaller than it is today.
Over time that network has grown significantly. Some venues sadly close — which highlights just how challenging the hospitality industry can be — while new and exciting independent restaurants, cafés and bars open their doors.
Because of this, our tour itineraries naturally evolve each year.
This is actually really important, because it allows us to:
- Showcase the best independent food and drink venues in each city/town
- Keep our experiences fresh and exciting for returning guests
- Create different tour itineraries within the same location
Ultimately, our aim is always to provide guests with a memorable and authentic food tour experience.
How We Choose the Venues for Our Food Tours
Choosing the right venues is about much more than just great food — although that’s obviously essential!
When considering potential partners, I look at the experience from a guest’s perspective. Things like:
- The quality of the food and drink
- The atmosphere of the venue
- The welcome and customer service
- The story behind the business
- How the venue fits into the overall tour route
And yes… a bit like the famous “man from Del Monte” adverts, I personally visit every venue to eat and drink there before considering it as part of one of our tours.
If I think it’s a great fit, I’ll then meet with the owner or management team to discuss the concept of the tours. If everyone is happy, we agree the menu, pricing and how the experience will work for our guests.
Designing the Perfect Tour Experience
Putting together a food tour itinerary is a bit like solving a puzzle.
We need to think about things such as:
- Different dietary requirements
- Group sizes
- Venue capacity
- Tour start times
- The flow and pacing of the experience
Everything needs to work together to create a relaxed, enjoyable and seamless experience for guests.
Becoming a Tourist in Your Own City
When I first started running tours, I assumed that locals already knew most of their city’s independent venues.
But it turns out that’s rarely the case.
Like most people, we often stick to the same few places we know and love.
That’s one of the reasons food tours have become so popular. They give people the chance to discover hidden gems in their own city and experience somewhere familiar from a completely new perspective.
In many ways, it allows guests to become tourists in their own city.
More Than Just a Food Tour
At Walking Food Tours UK, we’re passionate about creating experiences, not just tours.
As well as enjoying plenty of fantastic food and drink (and trust me — there’s always plenty!), our guests often get the chance to meet the people behind the venues.
Whenever possible, guests may also enjoy:
- Meeting the owners or chefs behind the businesses
- Hearing the stories behind the venues
- Experiencing behind-the-scenes access
- Taking part in interactive food or drink experiences
These moments help turn a simple food tour into a truly memorable experience.
Why We Love What We Do
Curating each food tour itinerary takes time, thought, collaboration — and yes, quite a lot of tasting!
But it’s something myself and the team genuinely love doing.
We love supporting independent businesses, building partnerships with passionate owners, and introducing our guests to incredible food and drink experiences they may never have discovered otherwise.
Seeing guests leave a tour with new favourite venues and big smiles makes all the effort worthwhile.
Discover a Food Tour Near You
If you love discovering great food, meeting passionate independent business owners and exploring your city in a new way, a tour with Walking Food Tours UK is the perfect experience.
Whether you’re visiting the city for the first time or have lived there for years, our tours are designed to help you discover hidden gems, enjoy fantastic food and create memorable moments.
👉 Explore our upcoming tours and book your experience today
We’d love to welcome you on a tour soon.
