8. Take a food tour
Every city with a great food culture today also has entrepreneurs that offer culinary tours. These tours have a lot of benefits for groups: Most include stops at a variety of restaurants that you wouldn’t have time to visit on your own and offer more than enough food to make up an entire meal. The tours often also include overviews of the destination and insights from the culinary experts that you might not get from a typical tour guide.
9. Hold a private event
The most acclaimed restaurants in the places you’re visiting are probably so busy that diners make reservations far in advance, and the managers have little incentive to hold 40 seats for a tour group. But you might be able to get your group in anyway by setting up a private event at the restaurant on a day that it isn’t open to the public, often Mondays and Tuesdays. A private event can also allow you to offer a customized menu or to bring in musicians or other entertainers to help turn your dinner into a party.
10. Go for the tasting menu
For many foodies, the ultimate expression of a chef’s skill is the tasting menu, a curated, multicourse series of small plates that showcase a broad range of techniques and ingredients. If you want to wow your group, treat them to one of these high-end experiences during a trip. Because the menu is chosen in advance by the chef, service can be quick and simple. You may even be able to coordinate with the restaurant to add wine pairings, desserts or other special touches to make the meal a memorable experience.
11. Go to the market
Many cities around the country have great public markets where purveyors sell fresh meats, produce, baked goods and a wide variety of artisanal products. Many of these markets also feature small businesses that serve specialty foods and full meals to visitors. For an exciting lunch, take your group to the market and turn the travelers loose to find something that appeals to them. If you want to cover the cost of the meal, you can hand out $10 bills or prepaid gift cards to your guests as they enter the market.
