FAQ

We offer both a flexible date change service at no additional cost and a fully refundable cancellation policy for our Taste of Carlsbad Food Tour.

For our Premium Private Group Experience Food Tour we require a food tour deposit of $250 to reserve the date.  In case of cancellation the deposit would be non-refundable. Final headcount for the tour needs to be given 1-2 days prior to tour date.  Final payment should also be made prior to tour date.

Our tours are dog-friendly.  In California if your venue has an outside patio available for it’s customer then dogs are allowed.

Yes, there is public parking located near the meeting location of the food tour. There are several large parking lots at the Carlsbad Village Train station. 3 hour street parking is also available. Transportation from downtown San Diego to Carlsbad is also available via the train. The meeting spot for the tour is located near the Carlsbad Village Train Station.

Yes, you may shop at our specialty shops, however, remember we are at each location for 15-20 minutes only, so keep your purchases minimal and quick, so that we can stay on schedule and continue with the informative tour and food tastings in a timely manner. Hopefully, you will allow time at the end of the tour to return to your favorite locations and/or stores. You might also want to bring a small bag with you to carry any items you purchase.

Yes.

Infants and toddlers under the age of 5 can come for free.

We are a family-friendly food tour; we offer children and adolescent tickets. Bring the entire family with you to experience a fun and filling afternoon.

Absolutely not! Our tours combine architectural commentary, historical facts, local culture, and culinary insight into a unique three-hour experience. Imagine walking through Carlsbad eating our local artisans’ most delicious foods while learning the neighborhoods from real locals.

Please be sure to let us know if you (or anyone in your group) has a dietary restriction (e.g. vegetarian, diabetic, allergy, etc.) when you purchase your tickets. As long as we know in advance, we can accommodate your needs.

To maximize your chances of getting the day, time, and number of tickets you prefer, please book well in advance. Tickets can only be purchased with a Visa or MasterCard from our website or by calling. Cash and/or walk-up traffic the day of the tours are not accepted.

We do not provide a waiting list. If a date is sold out, there is always a chance that we will add an additional tour. Please contact us by clicking “Contact Carlsbad Food Tours” to let us know what date you are interested in as we usually add additional tours once a tour is close to being sold out. The maximum number of persons per group is normally kept to 16 for the Taste of Carlsbad Tour.

Gratuities are greatly appreciated, although not mandatory. The standard gratuity in the service industry is 15%-20%.

Yes, bathrooms are available during the tour at selected food-tasting locations.

We tour rain or shine! Our experience is that food tastes even better in the rain. Please bring a compact umbrella with you on the tour.

All locations are wheelchair accessible.

At this time, we do not offer tours in any other languages except English.

We absolutely do! We can accommodate a variety of special requests (family reunions, birthday parties, out of town guests, corporate, conventions, festivals, parades, grand openings, and more).

You should bring with you a camera and a small bottle of water. When it’s really hot out, we recommend an application of sunscreen on exposed parts of the body and a lightweight pair of sunglasses. During the cooler seasons, it’s important to wear and an extra layer of clothing and consider bringing an umbrella.

Yes, there is one stop on our tour that includes a wine tasting from a locally produced winery. Please let us know if you prefer to abstain from alcohol.

Day-To-Day Operation Changes made towards furthering sustainability of our tours:

We are switching to paperless ticketing and eliminate paper waste! So that, we can check customer tickets on their smartphones.

• We are planning to eliminate paper handouts and converting to QR Codes
• We offer advice and provide information on how guests and employees can take advantage of environmentally friendly modes of transportation, like biking, train, and other public transport.
• Our tours are environmentally friendly walking tours.
• Offer training and information to your employees on how to be more environmentally responsible.

On Your Tours & Activities

• We strive to eliminate single-use plastic waste by asking our customers to bring reusable water bottles
• Keeping the tour sizes small and staggered as this has a lower impact on local flora and fauna than hundreds of people visiting an area at once.
• An added benefit – amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns guests favor smaller group sizes for health and safety reasons as well!
• Clean up customers waste to reduce the impact on restaurants.
• Share information on the local culture and history of your area with your customers. Respect the culture of your destination, acknowledge the impact of tourism in the area, and give your customers the opportunity to connect with locals.
• Consider offering service tourism or voluntourism opportunities, such as a coral reef repair tour or a river clean-up event.

For the Local Economy

• We contribute to the local economy and support other local businesses by obtaining services from our local vendors.
• We invest in the area. We donate a portion of your profits to Feeding San Diego to help feed and support the local community.
• You can evaluate your contribution on a quarterly or seasonal basis to make sure your donation levels work for you and your business.
• We hire local staff and provide training that contributes to the development of the local workforce. Not only does this boost the local economy, but local guides will also be able to provide unique insights to guests that non-locals do not have.

With Your Marketing Materials

• Going paperless with our marketing by focusing on digital platforms like social media, email marketing, and PPC advertising.
• Go digital with our photo offerings, to provide customers with digital photos of their experience.
• Similarly, we use online channels to educate customers about the local culture and history, any issues they should be sensitive about, and local businesses they should support.
• We have taken our first steps toward a more sustainable business, see how easy it is to put small measures in place. We feel great knowing that we have taking steps to preserve, protect, and contribute to your beautiful area!

Carlsbad Food Tours is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Carlsbad Food Tours diversity initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; transfers; social and recreational programs; layoffs; terminations; and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of gender and diversity equity that encourages and enforces:

• Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees.
• Teamwork and employee participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
• Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs.
• Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for the diversity.

All employees of Carlsbad Food Tours have a responsibility to always treat others with dignity and respect. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the work site, and at all other company-sponsored and participative events.

Any employee found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others may be subject to disciplinary action.

Employees who believe they have been subjected to any kind of discrimination that conflicts with the company’s diversity policy and initiatives should seek assistance from the owner.

Read our terms and conditions page here.