If you’re a food tour operator and less than 20% of your revenue is coming from corporate groups, you’re missing a massive opportunity. Jonathan Porter, for example, went from earning just 5% of his revenue from corporate groups to over now over 60%. In addition to closing $100,000 worth of corporate group revenue in a 6-month period.
Now, his business no longer relies on OTAs, giving him greater control over his margins.
He’s built valuable personal relationships with repeat corporate clients, adding long-term stability and increasing the value of his business when the time comes to sell. His days are more predictable, and instead of chasing one-off bookings, he works primarily with event organizers who appreciate his expertise.
Corporate doesn’t just mean Fortune 500 companies.
We’re talking about local businesses in your city—companies that are actively looking for unique, engaging experiences. Even if your tour has a maximum capacity of just 8 people, there’s a market for it.
Still, we get it. Tour operators often worry about whether corporate groups will actually pay more for their experience, among other worries:
- “They come to me, I’ve never marketed to businesses before—where do I start?”
- “Corporate groups expect discounts that cut into my margins.”
- “Do I have to overhaul my tour to accommodate corporate groups?”
- “What if my experience is too small for corporations?”
- “Do I need a salesperson to go after corporate clients?”
- “How do I even reach corporate decision-makers?”
- “What if they ask for customizations I can’t accommodate?”
The reality? Read below for food tour operators who have already unlocked incredible opportunities with corporate groups—and there’s no reason you can’t do the same.
The key isn’t about changing everything you do; it’s about recognizing how easily your experiences can be positioned as something local companies want. Whether you can host 8 or 80 people at a time, there’s a corporate market waiting for you. Here’s how others are already thriving in this space.
Too Much on Your Plate? Corporate Groups Can Change That
One of the biggest myths in the food tour industry? That scaling requires working more. Not true. The real secret is systems that work for you.
Take Lia from Louisville Food Tours—she seamlessly integrated a CRM to manage corporate inquiries, forecast revenue, and confidently hire a corporate sales manager.
Lia used to struggle with responding to corporate inquiries quickly, often missing out on big opportunities. But once she streamlined her process and implemented a CRM, everything changed.
She secured an $11,000 corporate booking with ease, and because her sales tracking system was working for her, she no longer spent hours manually handling inquiries. With a structured corporate offering in place, she not only reduced stress but also made booking corporate groups a seamless, scalable process.
Want to work smarter, not harder? It starts with systems.
Charge More—Why Companies Will Pay Premium
Many operators assume corporate clients want deep discounts, and let’s be real—plenty of companies have asked for the lowest price. When every inquiry feels like a negotiation, it’s easy to believe that price is the only factor in their decision.
But that’s not the full story.
The reality? Companies aren’t just looking for the cheapest option—they’re looking for the best option.
Bonnie from Off the Eaten Track Tours in Victoria shared her recent experience:
“I used to heavily discount because I thought that’s what they wanted to see in order to get the sale to let them know like, hey, I’ll go low for you. But I actually went high and it booked just as fast.”
When you undercharge, you send the message that your experience isn’t premium. Instead, position your tour as a top-tier investment in team engagement and culture.
Companies will pay more for an experience that delivers value, simplifies planning, and meets their needs without a headache. The key is not just raising prices, but making sure your offering justifies them.
Bonnie put this into practice and secured a $15,000 corporate booking—the highest-priced group she’s ever hosted. By offering tiered options and positioning value effectively, the client chose the premium package without hesitation.
Corporate groups don’t blink at premium pricing. You just have to position your tours as high-value experiences.
In Toronto, Jusep introduced a premium corporate package priced at $230 per person—more than double his standard rate—and found businesses were eager to book at that level.
🔑 The key? Strategic pricing and clear value.
More Bookings, Less Effort—Automation That Works
Let’s be real: missed follow-ups = lost revenue. That’s why food tour operators who streamline sales inquiries with a CRM and automations are winning big.
Alyssa from Bites of Boston thought she needed to tap more into corporate sales, but everything was already going “fine.”
“I think it was just sort of a little bit of a mental hurdle […] this is just this is the way we’ve been doing it. It’s working. It’s been 50% of our revenue. You know, we just need to keep it in order […] and not let the one slip through the cracks that we have in the past. […] Instead of looking at it more as ‘no, we can offer a better product at a higher price point that is going to be kind of more bang for our buck and their buck’ and then also paying for the amount of time that we’re putting into a lot of these projects.”
By refining her corporate pricing strategy, she saw a 43% jump in revenue per guest. And with a clear, compelling landing page specifically for corporate groups, she boosted conversions and secured more premium bookings than ever before. Her private group bookings surged by 70%, leading to an 80% overall revenue increase.
By optimizing her corporate inquiry flow and follow-ups, Alyssa turned website traffic into high-ticket bookings—without paying OTA commissions.
Automation doesn’t just save time—it ensures you never miss a high-value booking. Jeff from Underground Donut Tour talks about his change in mindset.
“I wish I could go back and be in the mindset before we had this discussion because I was like ‘what the hell do we need a CRM for? What do we need all this automation for?’ and now I’m like ‘oh my god I want to do all the automation.’”
Real Growth from Corporate Bookings
Food tours aren’t just an option for corporate groups—they’re the perfect solution. And the operators who are making strategic shifts are dominating this space.
If you still think corporate groups are out of reach, let these numbers sink in:
💰 Angela in Boise increased her ticket price to $599—and unlocked a brand-new audience willing to pay for exclusivity.
💰 Bethia from Columbus Food Adventures quickly realized how much pricing affects perception. After adjusting her corporate pricing, she closed a deal at five times her usual ticket price within a month.
💰 Even non-food tours see incredible results. Like a 580% increase in private group revenue by implementing a CRM and streamlining their sales operations.
Final Word: Take Action—Or Miss Out
Corporate sales aren’t just a trend—they’re a massive, untapped goldmine for food tours. And the best part? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
✅ Optimize your inquiry flow—automate follow-ups and streamline the booking process with a CRM. (UpLevel will set this up for you and and train your team how to use it)
✅ Adjust your pricing—corporate groups expect premium rates; price accordingly.
✅ Create a dedicated corporate landing page—make it crystal clear why your tours are the perfect fit.
✅ Leverage your CRM—track leads, forecast revenue, and build out corporate relationships.
📣 Now’s the time to make the move. Don’t wait until every food tour in your city is doing this—be the one leading the charge.
💡 Need help getting started? UpLevel Tourism has been the only agency focused on corporate groups for four years now. While we’ve worked with all kinds of experience operators, food tours stand out as the most adaptable—able to make small tweaks that unlock major opportunities in corporate sales.
Choose a time to talk about how you can scale your food tour—without adding stress to your plate.
Read more reviews from UpLevel clients.
