My latest biz idea (and one that I’ve been kicking around for quite a while now) is to give tapas tours. Relaxed and informal, taking small groups of 2-6 people out “tapearing”, much like I did with Alejna and her mother in September. A typical tour would be about 3 hours long and would include going to three different tapas bars and sampling a couple of tapas at each place. I’ve already announced this on the usual places (azahar sevilla, twitter & facebook) but I was wondering if I could get some feedback from you guys on this question.
Would you prefer an “all inclusive” price and have tapas & drinks chosen for you at each place, or would you prefer to pay a set fee for the tour guide (me!) and then pay for any food & drink you choose yourself on top of that? I’m actually thinking of offering both options, but would like to get an idea of what might be more popular.
You can read Alejna’s excellent post about her tour with me here:
Sevilla Tapas Tour
I’d prefer the all-in price, especially if I were a tourist in Seville from outside Spain (and therefore less familiar with the currency), so I could budget and know whether I could afford it. Sounds like a great idea though, I’d definitely sign up if I were visiting Seville!
🙂
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Oh, and I’d be happy with the ‘guide chooses the dishes for me’ option – but I’m not vegetarian and am happy to eat prawns, squid, octopus etc. I guess some people wouldn’t be able to, unless there was a vege option.
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If you were guiding me, I’d like you to choose the food and I’d pay an all-inclusive price for it. I think this is a great idea, by the way.
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Thanks, woo & Beth. I’m beginning to think that the “all inclusive” price will probably be the most popular. But I’d like to also have the other option there, which I think might suit just a couple of people better. Though having said that, Alejna & Janet were quite happy to have me order most of the stuff.
This evening I went to talk to the guys who run Puracepa (remember I was there for that meeting with the 11870 guys?) and they are going to put together a price list based on the number of people for a wine tasting evening, which will also include snacks. This one will definitely be “all-inclusive” and I’m actually quite excited about it. JuanMa said they will teach me about their wines, so then I can explain things in English while they are being served, and the clients will also be able to buy a bottle of anything they particularly like.
So NOW I just have to get some clients…
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I think you should set up an all-inclusive price. You should be able to set up good deals with the places you take your clients to, since you are bringing them customers who might just return. I think you should choose the dishes…your clients should indicate any food issues or special preferences when they sign up and you should be able to accommodate that.
I think this is a great idea! If I were there, I’d sign up right away.
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GREAT idea! Sign me up.
btw, I’ve passed your wesite along to some chefs I’ve been working with. Hopefully they will not just browse for ideas and actually visit.
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As I know you know, I think this is a fantastic thing! I’m so excited that you’re doing this.
I guess I don’t have a strong opinion on pricing schemes, but like your other commenters, I can see the appeal of the “all inclusive” one.
(And have I mentioned how much I really want to get back to Sevilla?)
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Well, having been taken on a tapas tour of Sevilla by you back when we visited, I am all in favor of this. Our experience was wonderful, and I go for the all inclusive price with you choosing the tapas based on preferences people would indicate when signing up. I don’t see how this could possibly fail, given your great relationships with the different tapas bars in the area.
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Spealing for someone who has been a vegetarian and has a severe allergic reaction to any form of fish or seafood the idea of somebody else ordering my food is absolute anathema, and I can imagine it would be for many others as well.
For example, I love the pigs cheeks, but I’ve spoken to a lot of people in this country who can’t even imagine touching them. There are also a suprising number of people who have problems with morcilla. Funny lot, but there you have it.
Having said that, I think whichever option you choose it has the potenttial to be a fantastic success.
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Well yes, anyone with any sort of food issues would have to let me know in advance. I was also warned that I should get some sort of insurance in case someone has a bad reaction to the food or has some sort of accident while on the tour … aaack.
I’ll probably stay clear of stuff like pigs cheeks and pringá unless I know people are somewhat adventurous. Though I’ve never seen anyone as adventurous as this guy. He’s done a 6-part series on Spain (the second one features the tapas tour guide that SR met while he was in Madrid). I think you’ll enjoy this series, Steve.
This is part one…
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Here’s a thought for zoomer, hmh and Steve … if you have some food pics how about writing up a short review of your tapas tour experiences with me here, much like alejna did? Then I can link to those too. I think it would make people feel more comfortable about booking a tour if they see other “testimonials”.
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The all-inclusive deal has a lot of appeal. Yes, you’d need to know about allergies and aversions in advance but that’s not insurmountable.
Another plus about all-inclusive is that it allows you to have a commercial understanding with the tapa-eateries and therefore could increase your profit margin.
J and I are planning a trip to Andalucia in April. Malaga, Antequera, Cordoba, Granada, Ronda – and, most importantly, Sevilla!
Can we sign up for a tapa tour now? 😀
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w00t! THAT is the best news I’ve heard since last week, Teuchter. Gosh, how long has it been … 4 years? Could it actually be 5?
That’s a great itinerary – I take it you’ll be driving. Flying into Málaga? I’d love to meet you guys and take you on a tapas tour there, if Manolo will lend me his apartment for a night. Oh, and I’m told that the Parador in Antequera is not to be missed.
I trust you’re planning to come *after* Semana Santa (finishes April 4th)? Ooooh, this is so exciting!!! Let me find a fabulous hotel for you here, okay? Or do you want to stay in the same place as last time? And I have a friend in Ronda who can give me some info. Yay! 🙂
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Mister anchovy & Teuchter both mentioned “getting a deal” from some of the tapas bars, but I don’t see that happening. Most of the ones I would want to include on the various tours are usually packed all the time anyhow, and we’ll be lucky to get in at all, so I can’t see it being in the establishment’s interest to do it cheaper for one small group. There are a couple of others I want to include where I know I can book a table, and I may ask them to prepare a special selection of stuff, but the price will probably be the standard one.
With the “all inclusive” thing, there will be some wiggle room in terms of which tapas can be chosen. I’ve set up a basic menu plan for each place that can be adapted in case someone decides they don’t like this or that. And if a group decides they want to try something extra then they can just pay for that separately.
What do you think? Six tapas and six drinks per person (2 of each in each place)? Or six tapas and three drinks? And then charge extra if extra drinks are wanted. Hmmm…
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