Chicago Food Tours

What Chicago Food Tours does

Chicago Food & City Tours (operating as Chicago Food Tours) is a privately held, founder-owned experiential tour operator headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, founded circa 2008 by Theresa Nemetz. The company runs guided food and city walking tours across multiple Chicago neighborhoods, including the Iconic Foods of Chicago Tour, the Bear-themed 'Yes, Chef!' tour, the West Loop Randolph Street tour, a Chinatown cultural immersion tour, a Pilsen street foods tour, and an architecture-focused Buildings and Bites tour. Per-person ticket pricing ranges from $65 to $139, with tours lasting 3 to 3.5 hours and featuring full-sized tastings equivalent to a full meal.

The business sells through three primary channels: a direct-to-consumer website with embedded FareHarbor booking, phone sales at (312) 932-0800, and a B2B receptive tour operator channel serving group travel companies with day trips, multi-day itineraries, and step-on guide services. Private experiences for corporate groups, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and celebrations are handled via dedicated inquiry pages with quote-based pricing. The company also operates a sub-brand, Travel Deliciously, for multi-day Chicago itineraries, and sells gift cards. Its technology stack is minimal — FareHarbor for booking and standard CMS/SEO for the website — with no mobile app, API, or proprietary software product.

Customer segments are horizontally diversified: tourists and first-time visitors, local Chicagoans (more than 50% of guests are Chicagoland residents, indicating strong word-of-mouth), corporate groups, celebration/social groups, and group travel operators. Marketing is almost entirely organic, relying on a 5/5 TripAdvisor ranking with 4,090+ reviews, Facebook (4.9/5), Google (4.8/5), and active presence on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The company is independently owned and operated with no disclosed institutional investment, M&A activity, or parent entity.

Name

Chicago Food Tours

Legal name

Chicago Food & City Tours

Website

https://chicagofoodplanet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Food & City Tours is a privately held, founder-owned operator of guided food and city walking tours in Chicago, serving tourists, locals, corporate groups, and celebrations with six neighborhood-specific tour products priced from $65 to $139 per person.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Guided Food Tour Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJAGAA

Culinary Walking & Market Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Food & Drink Experiences (Culinary Tours, Tastings, Cooking Classes)

SECONDARYTHAJAAAJ

Neighborhood & Local Life Tours (Communities & Hidden Gems)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

SECONDARYTHAJAGAC

Street Food Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Food & Drink Experiences (Culinary Tours, Tastings, Cooking Classes)

SECONDARYTHAJAAAG

Food, Market & Culinary Culture Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

SECONDARYTHAJAAAA

Walking City Tours (Highlights & Orientation)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

Keywords

• Guided food tours
• Culinary walking tours
• Corporate team events
• Group travel services
• Neighborhood food experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Food Tours: Per-person ticketed food tours ranging from $65-$139 per person. Customers purchase individual tour slots through the website. Duration ranges from 3-3.5 hours. Tours include full-sized tastings equivalent to a full meal.
2. Private Experiences: Custom private tours for corporate events, bachelorette parties, and celebrations. These are likely quote-based custom packages tailored to group size and requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chicago Food & City Tours operates guided food and city walking tours across Chicago neighborhoods, featuring full-sized restaurant tastings equivalent to a full meal. Core offerings include six public food/architecture tours (priced from $65-$139 per person), private experiences for corporate groups, bachelor/bachelorette parties and celebrations, and receptive tour operator services for group travel companies. All tours are led by trained local guides and booked primarily through the company's website using FareHarbor.

Product overview

Chicago Food & City Tours operates as a single unified tour company offering food and city tours in Chicago. The core product portfolio consists of six distinct food tour experiences (Iconic Foods of Chicago, Yes Chef! Chicago, Gateway to The West Loop, Chinatown Adventure, Street Foods of Pilsen, Buildings and Bites), three private experience categories (Corporate, Bachelorette/Bachelor, Celebrations), and group travel services (day trips, multi-day itineraries, step-on guides). The company positions itself as Chicago's original food tour operator, with over 15 years of experience hosting visitors and locals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Travel Deliciously: A trips/itineraries website operated by the company for booking multi-day Chicago experiences

Products and services

• Iconic Foods of Chicago Tour 3-hour flagship food tour featuring full-sized tastings of legendary Chicago 'must-eat' favorites including deep dish pizza, Italian beef, and Chicago-style hot dogs, starting from $85 per person. Aimed at visitors and locals wanting the canonical Chicago culinary experience.
• Yes, Chef! Chicago: A Bear-Inspired Food Tour 3.5-hour themed food tour visiting restaurants featured on the TV show The Bear, starting from $139 per person. Targeted at fans of the show and visitors seeking a pop-culture-themed culinary experience.
• Gateway to The West Loop Food Tour 3-hour insider's tour of Chicago's West Loop, including the most talked-about restaurants, homegrown breweries, and dive bars along Randolph Street, starting from $129 per person. Marketed as a 'locals' favorite' that frequently sells out.
• The Chinatown Adventure Food Tour 3-hour cultural and culinary tour exploring the flavors and history of Chicago's Chinatown, starting from $99 per person. Marketed as a top-rated TripAdvisor food and culture experience.
• Street Foods of Pilsen 3-hour neighborhood food tour of Pilsen exploring bold flavors, art, and history, starting from $85 per person. Positions Pilsen as one of the '12 Coolest Neighborhoods Around the World' per Forbes.
• Buildings and Bites 3-hour signature architecture walking tour ('walk and gawk') of Chicago's most iconic buildings, starting from $65 per person. Targeted at history and architecture enthusiasts.
• Corporate Group Private Tours Custom private food tours designed for corporate groups and team-building events, with end-to-end planning and execution. Quote-based pricing tailored to group size and requirements.
• Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Tours Private food tour experiences designed for bachelor and bachelorette parties and related pre-wedding celebrations. Customized to group preferences.
• Celebration Private Tours Private food tours designed for celebrations and special occasions including birthdays, bridal showers, and milestone events. End-to-end planning and execution.
• Group Travel Services In-market receptive tour operator services for group travel companies and tour operators, including day trips, multi-day itineraries, and step-on guide services in Chicago.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tours run in most weather conditions (rain or shine) unless safety is threatened

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Restaurant Partners (Unnamed)coreOthersThe company has established relationships with multiple restaurants across Chicago neighborhoods including West Loop, Chinatown, Pilsen, and other areas. These restaurants provide food tastings for tour guests. The FAQ mentions: 'we'll just spend more time indoors at our restaurant partners' when weather conditions are unfavorable. Specific restaurant names are not listed on the website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• A Chef's Tour: Chef-led food-tour operator offering guided culinary walking tours in major U.S. cities. Directly comparable on product format, target customer (tourists and foodies), and per-person pricing structure.
• Sidewalk Food Tours of America: Multi-city U.S. food tour operator offering neighborhood walking food tours at comparable price points ($50–$100+ per person). Closest direct competitor in the guided food-tour category, frequently competing for the same tourist and corporate-group bookings in major U.S. cities.
• Secret Food Tours: International guided food-tour operator active in 70+ cities including Chicago, with neighborhood food tours at similar duration and price points. Direct competitor for Chicago tourist food-tour bookings and corporate/private events.
• Eating Europe: Guided food-tour brand operating neighborhood tasting tours across European and select U.S. cities with comparable group size, duration, and per-person pricing. Comparable on product format (walking food tours with multi-stop tastings) and target customer (tourists, locals, private groups).
• Avital Tours: Food and neighborhood walking-tour operator in major U.S. cities (NYC, SF, Chicago) offering guided culinary experiences at similar price points. Direct peer in Chicago specifically, competing for tourist and corporate bookings.
• Foods of New York Tours: Long-established New York City food-tour company offering neighborhood walking food tours, comparable in format, duration, and pricing tier. Highly analogous in business model — founder-led, single-city food-tour operator with strong review-driven brand equity.
• Chicago Pizza Tours: Chicago-specific themed food tour operator focused on pizza and Chicago culinary heritage. Direct local competitor targeting overlapping tourist and corporate audiences in the same Chicago market.

Emerging players

• Local Palate Tours: Smaller-scale food-tour operator offering neighborhood culinary walking tours in select U.S. cities. Comparable product format and customer persona but smaller scale and footprint than the subject company.

Broad incumbents

• Fat Tire Tours: Multi-city guided tour operator (bike, walking, food, and Segway tours) in major U.S. and European cities including Chicago. Broader format portfolio than the subject, but overlaps on guided food-tour offerings and corporate/private group services.
• Walks (Walks of Italy / Walks of New York): Established multi-city guided walking-tour operator (food, sightseeing, and cultural tours) with broader portfolio than the subject company. Comparable on tour-operator business model, B2B group services, and tourist/locals customer base, but operates across more cities and tour categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChicagoFoodCityTours
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoFoodPlanetFoodTours
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagofoodtours
• TikToktiktok.com/@chicagofoodtours
• Xx.com/ChiFoodTours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Food Tours