 Culinary Tourism
A unique food and drink experience has the power to lure tourists like museums, recreation and shopping.
Culinary tourism is the hottest niche to emerge within the travel
industry in years because dining is one of the best ways visitors can
get to know a new and exotic locale.
Of the more than $330 billion Americans spent on food in 2003, nearly
80 percent was spent in restaurants and nearly one-third of that was
spent on fine dining, according to Erik Wolf, President and CEO of the
Culinary Tourism Association.
Because regional foods and recipes are a major part of what makes one
place different from another, restaurants should create unique and
memorable food and drink experiences to build excitement and develop a
competitive advantage.
Your restaurant may already be contributing to culinary tourism in your
community without even knowing it. Culinary tourism includes any unique
or memorable dining experience that a traveler encounters.
Who are culinary tourists?
A culinary tourist can be a visitor who has traveled to town
specifically to dine at your establishment. A culinary tourist can also
be a business traveler who decides to dine at your restaurant.
Nearly 100 percent of tourists dine out when traveling, and dining is
consistently one of the top three favorite tourist activities.
There is a high correlation between tourists who are interested in
wine/cuisine and those interested in museums, shows, shopping, music
and film festivals and outdoor recreation.
Unlike other travel activities and attractions, cuisine is available year-round, any time of day and in any weather.
What can your restaurant do to promote culinary tourism?
It’s important that your restaurant take full advantage of your
region’s culinary tourism opportunities by establishing itself as a
unique and memorable dining destination that locals will refer visitors
to and tourists will want to return to again and again.
Here are four ways to foster culinary tourism:
Prime parking packs ‘em in
Limited parking discourages culinary tourism. Out-of-towners are likely
to pass over your restaurant if they can’t find a convenient place to
park. Make it easy for visitors to get though the front door by
providing plenty of parking, a complimentary valet service or
advertising a place where parking is available.
Novel notions
One of the main philosophies that drive culinary tourism is the idea
that tourists can get something at your restaurant or in your town that
they can’t get back home. Your restaurant should capitalize on this
idea by identifying a local or regional specialty and creating your own
version of it.
Few restaurants in the world provide guests a retreat into a sanctuary
of imaginative art, wine and cuisine like St. Augustine, Florida’s Opus
39, an independently-owned food, wine and art gallery which features a
five-course menu that changes daily and a showroom of locally-produced
art and wine selections from small production boutique wineries.
Chef demonstrations or in-the-kitchen chef training are two other ways
to create an unforgettable dining experience for guests by showcasing a
famous chef or locally-grown or manufactured ingredients. Even sitting
at the chef’s table located directly in front of the kitchen can
provide a memorable experience for guests.
Chains and fast-food companies can also capitalize on culinary tourism
by offering unique specials that are exclusive to a certain area or by
using local ingredients.
Everglades-themed seafood chain R.J. Gators promotes gator bites as
their specialty appetizer because alligators are an indigenous species
to the Everglades.
Show locals love
Your local client base can be your restaurant’s greatest culinary
tourism ambassadors. One of the top questions tourists ask locals when
visiting a new place is, “Where’s a good place to eat around here?” If
you build loyalty with locals, chances are they will direct tourists to
visit your restaurant.
Band together to beef up business
When it comes to culinary tourism, don’t view other restaurants as
competition. Partner with other local restaurants to create a culinary
event that will benefit your city’s entire dining scene. Call it
“Tastes of (insert your town’s name here).” Together restaurants can
make a larger impact than one restaurant could afford individually.
When the city of Sarasota, Florida wanted to publicize their
Zagat-ranked restaurants, they decided to showcase their eclectic mix
of dining establishments by hosting the “Spirit of Sarasota” restaurant
week.
Participating restaurants offered fixed-price lunch and dinner courses
and hosted chef demonstrations. The event helped position Sarasota as
one of Florida’s finest dining destinations and increased sales of
participating restaurants by double-digit percentages.
Bottom line benefits
Culinary tourism has the power to create cooperative marketing
opportunities for local restaurants and build name recognition for your
restaurant regionally and nationwide.
Name recognition often opens the doors. Your restaurant may consider
organizing cellar door sales or create their own line of customized
products that can serve as another major source or revenue.
If executed correctly, culinary tourism can put your restaurant “on the
map” and make a huge economic impact on your restaurant and community.
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