After getting lost while solo touring the streets of Italy in search of a 300-year-old cheese shop (amongst other food destinations), University of Calgary student Joanna Pariseau wondered if there was a better way for individuals to have fun, self-guided dining experiences. That experience, as well as a class project on how to revitalize Calgary’s downtown, prompted Pariseau to develop the concept for Taste the City, which offers self-guided, curated dining tours.
“That’s the thing I personally like doing when I’m travelling,” says Pariseau. “I appreciate a little bit of time to eat, even with my spouse or friends, [so] that we can still enjoy a private experience.”
Pariseau launched the web app (which may soon be available as a downloadable mobile app) in October 2023 as a beta test with five restaurants across two Calgary neighbourhoods. Today, Taste the City has 25 participating restaurants in Calgary. Pariseau, co-founder and CEO, and Melissa Boerger, co-founder and CMO, recently expanded Taste the City to Victoria, with plans for a Toronto expansion coming soon.
Taste the City is simple to use. Tasters visit the website and choose a dining journey based on the day of the week, the time frame and the neighbourhood they want to explore. The price of each experience ranges from $65 to $85 per person and includes all reservations, the meals at each restaurant (including all gratuity and taxes), and text message reminders and timers on when to leave a restaurant and head to the next one. After booking a tasting, diners receive information about their start location with a date/time reminder. The rest of the restaurants remain a secret until they arrive at the location.
“It’s a bit of a mystery date because you only know your first stop and then you don’t know where you’re going,” says Boerger. “So, it’s also a really exciting night where you don’t have to think about anything. We do all the thinking for you and you just get to enjoy yourself, have the VIP treatment and have a little adventure.”