The Foodie, The Traveler and the Blue Foot Chicken Calaveras County Visitors Bureau Murphys, CA April 29, 2009
The Foodie, The Traveler
and the Blue Foot Chicken
Calaveras County Visitors Bureau
Murphys, CAApril 29, 2009
“People travel to meet other people and eat their food”
Burt Wolf Television Journalist
“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are”
Jean Brillat-Savarin 18th century Gastronome
The First Foodies…
In 1984, co-authored “The Official Foodie Handbook”
Paul LevyAnn Barr
“Foodies are the onessalivating over restaurants,recipes and radicchio”
Paul LevyCo-author
The Official Foodie Handbook
The Kid from Corona
and his Foodie Journey…
Salmon Salad Tart
James Lileks 2001
Chicken Loaf with Olives
James Lileks 2001
The Jell-O Mold
James Lileks 2001
That casserole thing…
Foodie Core Values Sense of Adventure–Good food means taking risks
Desire to Travel –Dining outside of your own
backyard Share the Experience–The Corsican Twins of life
–Wine with a cork
Foodie Tourism
is
Big Business
“Bottle Shock”
Travel and Dining
70.9% of leisure travelers report that they dine out when they travel
Dining out is the most popular activity planned after tourists arrive at a destination.
Destination Analysts 2009 and NRA 2006
68%…of full service restaurants say that tourists are very important to their business
NRA 2005
Culinary Touristsvs. Foodies
According to TIA and Edge Research, 17% of leisure travelers, or 27 million US adults engage in “culinary tourism”
TIA/Edge research Jan. 2007
Foodie Market
Lang Research estimated that 27.3% of U.S. adults would be interested in “Foodie Tourism”
Source: Lang Research 2005
55 million adults
How Big Is Foodie Tourism?
43.5 million leisuretravelers classify
themselves as Foodies
Destination Analysts 2009
Foodie Tourism Market
1999: 72 million 2001: 37 million 2008: 52.3 million 2009: 43.5 million 12-18,000 fine dining restaurants
will close this year…
SFCVB 1999-2001. Destination Analysts 2006-2009
So, Foodies…
Who are these People?
Definitely Not Foodies…
Eddie “Bozo” Miller30 lbs of Elk Meatloaf
Sonia “Black Widow” Thomas522 Oysters…10 minutes!
Who Are Foodies?
Foodies are dining hobbyists Foodies take the art of food and
wine very seriously Foodies are culinary brand
advocates
Brenda Thompson, Bethesda MDKJ Brand Advocate
Seven karat, canary yellow diamond
Brand Advocate Badges
How Did we Find the Foodie?
SFCVB and NFO research – July 1999 and 2001
State of the American Traveler – 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
Destination Analysts
All studies confidence level: 95%– reliability: +/-3%
Average age is 44…–But skewing younger 25-34
Affluent: HHI $84,118– 52% are residents of major metro
areas Foodies differ by the 17
psychographic markers
Destination Analysts Jan 2009
Foodies and Non-FoodiesLook Alike….sort of
Foodies: Psychographics
More frequent leisure travelers More frequent business travelers More frequent international travelers Twice as likely to visit a destination
because it has good restaurants– Three times more likely to stay overnight
for a specific restaurant
Destination Analysts 2009 & SFCVB 1999
Foodies Plan Ahead
Three times more likely to make restaurant reservations on a leisure trip prior to departure
Destination Analysts Jan. 2009
Foodies are Ready to Go…
Foodies say they are likely to travel more this coming year for leisure than non- foodies
Foodies spend more when they traveled than non-foodies
Destination Analysts Jan. 2009
Where Do Foodies Want to Go?
Foodies want to visit Nevada and New York , Florida and Alaska more than non-foodies– Specifically, Las Vegas, New York City
and Orlando Top International: – Canada, France, Italy Mexico and Spain
are their top choices for countries to visit in the coming year
Destination Analysts Jan 2009
What Attracts Foodies?
When making travel decisions, Foodies are more likely than non-foodies to seek out destinations which offer:– Safety– Shopping– Spas– Scenery
What Else Do Foodies Do?
Heritage Tourism Seek out Interesting Culture Historic Attributes Museums Excitement –Casinos and gambling
Destination Analysts 2009
Foodies and the Road…
More likely to have done something new and exciting on their last trip
More likely to go nightclubbing Four times more likely to meet a
new romantic partner on the road
Destination Analysts January 2009
Foodies Like to be Pampered
Foodies are more likely to stay in a Destination Vacation resorts in the next two years–Top attribute desired: Dining and
cuisine options
Destination Analysts Jan 2009
Workaholicrestafaurians
Foodies are more likely to have traveled specifically to get away from work
Yet they are also more likely: To take their work with them on
vacation Use a mobile device or PDA
A Touch Neurotic?
Foodies are more likely not to travel than non-foodies because of –Safety concerns–Other personal responsibilities–Too busy at work
Destination Analysts 2009
Foodies Crave Discovery
More likely to try new restaurants More likely to prefer trying new
things in restaurants they’ve visited
More likely to have experimented with a new recipe at home
Destination Analysts 2006
Foodies are More Educated and Social Media Savvy
Foodies are more likely to: Have college and graduate degrees Read and contribute to peer reviews Watch on-line videos Book travel on-line
Destination Analysts Jan 2009
Foodies Dominate Spending
Foodies spend 36% more per week in restaurants than average diners
Foodies spend 68% more on dinners than non-foodies
Destination Analysts 2008
Foodies and Wine
Two and a half times more likely to have wine with dinner
Three times more likely to consider themselves more knowledgeable about wine
Three times as likely to have visited a winery in the past year
Destination Analysts 2007
38% will travel 50 miles or more one way for a meal…
…12% will travel 100 miles or more…
Foodies are Determined
…8% will travel 200 miles or more…
Destination Analysts 2009
“Foodie Speak”
Appreciate “pedigreed” ingredients:– Harris Ranch Beef, Mary’s free range
chicken, Yuba plums, steel cut green beans…
Know, that Ron Siegel was the first American to defeat an Iron Chef– Lobster Battle, Kitchen stadium
Know that Maine fisherman dredge three times to find the best scallops
Foodies Speak Their Mind
Twice as likely to have complained
about food quality in the last 60 days
Twice as likely to have complained about restaurant service in the last 60 days.
Destination Analysts 2006
Foodies and Money
Are less price conscious when they travel– Say they spent more money than they
expected on their last leisure trip– Twice a likely to order room service or
use a mini bar– Are less concerned with what they pay
in restaurants-it’s the experience
Destination Analysts 2009
French Laundry: Yountville
Green Asparagus Tempura Pine Nut Tofu and Black Truffle Vinaigrette
Tartare of Kuroge Beef from Shiga Crystallized Buddha’s Hand Biscotti
Tuile and Lemon Snow
– Prix Fixe $240 per person– Lunch for two was $709
Alain Ducasse: New York
Formerly America’s most expensive restaurant
Spring squash ravioli, contrast of zucchini, clear essence
California Blue foot chicken on the spit with morel fricassee
Dinner for four: $2,450 Closed December 2006 Adour opens at the St. Regis January
2008
American “poulet de Bresse”
$29.00
$29.00
per pound
per pound
Psst: “Grill on the Alley” Beverly Hills
America’s Most Expensive Restaurant…Masa
Chef Masa Takayama serves Japanese ginko nuts w/ tempura baby shrimp heads.
Toro Tartare w/ White Sturgeon Caviar Blowfish Sashimi w/ Lemon Vinaigrette Shabu Shabu - individualized pots of hot
broth for dipping raw pieces of Foie Gras and Lobster Shashimi.
Dinner for Four $3500
But Take Heart America, There’s a recession going on…
Jean Georges is now serving a $35 three course prix fixe with homemade marshmallow nougatine
Primehouse in Chicago has a $20.09 steak dinner, London Grill in Philly has steak or lobster dinner for $18.95
Fifth Floor in SF introduced and “honor bar”…
WSJ Feb 2009
Regional FoodiesThe New Frontier…
The Regional Foodie
184 million leisure travelers…–19.1%% consider regional cuisine
very important in their destination decision.–5.7% of all leisure travelers have
visited a destination because of an interest in regional cuisine
Destination Analysts 2008 and 2009
Potential Regional Foodie Market
10-12 million
Regional Cuisine
Union Oyster House: Boston
Regional New England Feast–Clam chowder –Clam steamers–Broiled lobster–Native corn, red bliss potatoes,
Indian pudding
Regional Foodies Love the Icons
60% of customers are tourists
The Gas Station Down the Road… with the Legendary Lobster Taquitos!
“Their website says thatBananas Foster isthe house specialtydessert…I'm trying tofigure out how they cando a flaming dessert ata gas station…”
Blogger on Chowhound June 2008
Matt ToomeyChef Tioga Gas Mart
Regional Foodies
Love
Education…
Eight million took a class last year on the road
Cooking Classes, Farmer’s Markets and Food Festivals
Regional Foodies Love Food Festivals
18.2 million leisure travelers attend food related events annually– There are 10,000 U.S. food festivals a
year… Premiere Food Festivals–Aspen Food and Wine Classic– Taste of Vail
Typical Food Festivals–Vegetable/Condiment/Fruit and Nut
Festivals
Food Festivals
Kumquat festival will draw 35,000 to Dade City, FL.
Miss Kumquat 2008 Carly Turner
Miss Kumquat 2009…
Andrea Apple
My Nana’s Best Arizona Salsa Tasting Challenge
64 chefs… 3,000 pounds of
Tostitos… 1,000 gallons of
salsa… 7,000 margaritas… Good times… for
20,000
S’more Food Festivals National Grits Festival, Warwick GA
draws 6,000 The Lentil Fest in Pullman, WA will
draw 25,000 Gilroy Garlic Fest attracts 107,500– Garlic Ice Cream
The Asparagus Festival will draw 110,000
Ohio Sauerkraut Fest will draw 250,000 to Waynesville… (where?)
Population 3,015
Population 3,015
Foodies are Adventurous Diners
Twice as likely to have donesomething risky and
dangerous on their last leisure trip…
Destination Analysts 2009
The Tiro Testicle Festival
Held annually in Tiro, Ohio--in the middle of nowhere--between Columbus and Cleveland
Pig and bull testicles are breaded and deep-fried to within a “short hair of perfection”
Festival motto: "You'll have a ball"
Foie gras, caviar and sweetbreads-kinder spiel!
You're not a real Foodie if you won’t try kidneys, tripe, brains, chicken feet, pigeon blood, and fugu…
Real Foodies are Real Serious
Case Studies
Statewide Programs
California Land of Wine and Food
Core value driven- three year program
$10 million media budget
Co-op centric
Land of Food and Wine Print Campaign
Website
Print/Web Co-op
Program for CA DMO’s–Buy-in $1,000-$50,000
Contribute content–Tourism.visitcalifornia.com
–Updates all CTTC run sites
–LWF has direct (social media) input to site
South Carolina
South CarolinaSavor the Flavor
• Savory Reels• Restaurant Talk• Blog• Wineries and
Breweries• Kids Section • E-Newsletter• Schools, Chefs
and Tours
South Carolina: Savory Reels
South Carolina Results: A Lesson
Newsletter subscribers doubled in 2008 vs. 2007– 13,160 to 27,193
But website visitor traffic has declined by 57% YOY– SCRTB pulled media and PPC budget
and discontinued blog contributions
Citywide Programs
SFCVB: Preferred Dining
Goal: Drive room nights leveraging the destination’s culinary assets
Challenge: create a transactional restaurant program in a premier restaurant market– “We don’t want to give away food”
Solution: two tiered program
San Francisco Case Study
Two Tiered Offer strategy– National recognition (1%)
Priority Reservations Signature dish
– Regional/local recognition (99%) 20% off check Complimentary Appetizer/Dessert Two for one entrée Prix fixe
Economic Impact
$42.1 million incremental restaurant sales
68,349 incremental room nights $103 million total destination
economic impact
SFCVB
Case Study: Dine About Town
Prix Fixe Dining Concept– month-long
Lunch $19.95 Dinner $29.95
– “Don’t giveaway food…”– 14,000 visits from Bay Area residents-
specifically for the program
Prix Fixe Generates More Revenue
Total party spending–Came for DAT $123–Didn’t come for DAT $104–Difference +15%
*Identical party size 3.2 persons pretax after tipSource: SFCVB 2002
Regional/County Programs
Santa Barbara CVB Program
Experiences– Seasonal itineraries, cooking classes, farm
tours, events and festivals Food– restaurants, artisan bakeries, recipes,
regional produce Drink– Wineries, breweries, artisan cocktails
Lodging packages Foodie glossary
Tri-Valley CVB
Yakima Valley: “Farm Fresh Fun”
Yakima Valley
Set up a packaging site-Washington Wine-Country.com to promote lodging and food strategy
Once a year, bureau chooses a food and wine event and helps with promotion
Program Results
Steady increase in web site traffic to website
Consistent 5% click-through rate from banner ads on state website
Yakima Valley CVB April 2009
Calaveras
Assets
What Grows on “the Rock”
$0.00
$1,000,000.00
$2,000,000.00
$3,000,000.00
$4,000,000.00
$5,000,000.00
$6,000,000.00
$7,000,000.00
Cattle&Calves
WineGrapes
Poultry Walnuts
Calaveras County Dept of Agriculture April 2009
“Happy Cows”
Mendoza Red Angus
Rex Whittle Rasmussen
Ranch John’s Natural
Products
Calaveras Wine
27 wineries 28 varietals
including: –Alicante Bouschet,
Pinotage, Tesoro, Mouvedre
Higher elevated vineyards
Wet Gulch RanchWalnuts
Poultry
Foster Farms TurkeysBurson
Trinitas Olive Oil
•Olive Oaks•Rancho Marisol•Mancuso Farm•Winter Creek•Bonita Ranch•Calaveras Olive Oil•Skyhawk Olive Oil
Blue Sky Blueberries
Gold Country Honey
The Other White Meat?
Regional: Delta Asparagus
A Basket of Riches…
Cucumbers, tomatoes, squashes, peppers, eggplant, eight varieties of blueberries, peak plum, apples, figs, Thompson seedless grapes, pumpkins, eggs, olives, olive oils, green beans, watermelon, casaba melon, muskmelon, persimmons, cantaloupe, chilies, lettuces, snow peas, carrots, corn, casaba melons, chard, kale, beets, onions, garlic, honey, but no potatoes…
The Florida “Savior Potato”
Micro Brewery
Branding the Ingredients
Best on-line resource of Foodie content in the county and a theme song!
Restaurants
Fine Dining Grounds Notos Sicilliana Mineral Sarafinas Kitchen V Restaurant Copper Grill
Local Snowshoe Brewing Frank’s Cafe Mountain Mikes Crusco’s La Contenta Giant Burger Firewood Primos Pizza
Restaurant Assets
Historic Tallahans Lube Room Saloon Hotel Leger Murphys Historic
Hotel
Restaurant Assets
Ethnic Mexico Lindo Good Friends
Chinese Far East Chinese Markets Big Trees Market Camp Cornell
General Store
Regional Restaurants
Taste: Plymouth Incahoots: Plymouth Susan’s Place: Sutter Creek Café Via D’Oro: Sutter Creek Imperial Hotel: Amador Buscaglias: Jackson Theresa’s: Jackson Diamond Back Grill: Sonora
Foodie Speak California carpaccio: seared beef
tenderloin, Vella Jack Cheese, 50 year old sherry vinegar, caper blossoms and grilled sourdough
Copper Grill at Saddle Creek
Foodie Speak
The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Fiscalini farms San Joaquin Gold, smoked bacon, lettuce and tomato in La Brea Bakery Sourdough
Diamondback Grill
French onion soup in a late harvest zinfandel paired with parmesan croutons and gruyere cheese
Fire grilled skirt steak marinated in Corona, lime and red chilies paired with a robust chimichurri sauce
Café Via D’Oro
Foodie Speak: Regional
Foodie Speak: Regional
Del Rio Organic Arugula, Braeburn
Apples, candied pecans, Oregon bleu
cheese sherry vinaigrette
Restaurant Taste
Alchemy
Sierra Sunshine salad… ….Arugula with local olive oil and
balsamic vinegar The Ultimate meatloaf….
Calling It Out New Chain wide
initiative Now sourcing
ingredients from local farmer’s markets
Calling out on the menu
Farmer’s Markets and Roadside Stands
Arnold: Sunday San Andreas:
Wednesday
A.O. Ranch Mcacre Farms
Festivals Wine Events
Grape Stomp October Passport Weekend Wines of the World Wine Grape and Gourmet
Calaveras
Foodie Program
Recomendation
BrandBrand It It
Build Build ItIt
Measure Measure ItIt
Brand ItBrand It Define your destination’s
Foodie brand (group discussion)–Register .com, .net, .org, .tra
vel, and .biz
–Promote it: Intel Inside
Defining Your Foodie Brand
“Old World” media–National, regional and local
food and wine mediaBon Appetit, Gourmet, Saveur,
Food and Wine…Zagat, Michelin Local newspaper, radio, and
cable TV
Defining Your Foodie Brand
“New Age” Media–Chowhound.com
–Yelp.com
–Food.Yahoo.com
–Trip Advisor.com
–Zagat.com
–Local online newspaper
–Citysearch.com
Experience Counts
Calaveras Foodie Brand
What is the Brand Statement? “Rock of Plenty” “Sierra Cornucopia” ? Let’s Discuss…
Build ItBuild It1. Develop a Foodie micro-site
2. Define your Foodie assets
3. Create promotional programs to build room nights
The Foodie Microsite
Easy, low cost and simple Leverage the LWF program by
CTTC Allow for social media updates– Twitter– Link to review sites– Video uploads
Foodie Assets
The Food–Local, regional and pedigreed
ingredients
–RestaurantsFine dining, bistro’s, historic, trendy,
ethnic, dives, etc…
Foodie Assets
The Drink–Wineries, breweries, juices,
mineral water Education –Food festivals, food and wine
events, farm tours, farmers markets, and cooking classes.
Promotional ProgramsIncorporate Lodging
Act as a broker– Packaging
Act as an agent– Put the partners together
Act as a promoter – Identify existing food and wine/lodging
programs Winemaker dinners Food and wine festivals
Measure ITMeasure IT Measure;– Total Economic Impact– Incremental room nights– Incremental spending due to program– Incremental restaurant revenue– Special event revenue
Use internet surveys– Capture email at registration on micro-
site
How to Measure
Create opt-in database to get names– Newsletter sign-ups– Access our videos– Receive special offers
Use on-site measurement techniques– “Check stuffers”
Mailing list card and quick survey with incentive
Calaveras Program Create hotel guest recipe cards
Feature local ingredients Highlighting restaurants
Build Calaveras “Foodie” video library Local chefs preparing signature
dishes Locals sharing their dining secrets Visitor reviews Farmer’s and their crops
Calaveras Program Opportunities
Dine Calaveras countywide dining program
Highlight local/regional ingredients
Enroll restaurant “influencers” in prixe fixe signature dish programs
Create value added offer tiers for other participants
Food Frog on Twitter
Baker’s Proposition
How to remain a Foodie?
The Japanese drink very little wine but
drink excessive amounts of spirits and still
suffer fewer heart attacks than the
British or Americans….
The Italians and the French drink excessive amounts of wine, little spirits and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans….
The Alcohol Fallacy
The Fat Paradox
The French and Italians eat a lot of fat and also have fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans…
The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans
Nippon-Mediterranean Axiom
The consumption of fat and raw fish in conjunction with excessive amounts of alcohol results in better coronary health than that experienced in Britain or America…
Baker’s Corollary
Eat and drink whatever you like…
Speaking English is apparently what kills you!
Calaveras County Foodie Brand
What are the core values of the brand?
What is the best statement that describes the food scene in Calaveras?
END
Calaveras County Cities
Angels Camp Arnold Avery Copperopolis Dorrington Forest Meadows Mokelumne Hill Mountain Ranch
Murphys Rail Road Flat Rancho Calaveras San Andreas Sheepranch Vallecito Valley Springs Wallace West Point
Certified Central Valley Foodie
Create a Foodie’s must see and do map built around assets– Restaurants, events, farm tours,
seasonal foods, education Multi city, multi visit
– Create a Calaveras test On-line
– Award the Central Valley Foodie Certification
Google Reviews
Yelp sort by: •Most reviewed•Highest rated•Location
Foodie Speak Regional
Beet salad mixed organic lettuces with Point Reyes blue cheese, roasted beets local walnuts and honey vinaigrette
Fra’ Mani sausage served with warm bitter greens and gourmet mustard
Imperial Hotel
Grimaud Farms Crispy Duck ConfitRestaurant Taste
Foodie Speak: Just Plain Yum!
Boneless pork loin with pear and Gorgonzola cheese stuffing. Braised and topped with rosemary vermouth sauce
Buscaglias
Crimini and Oyster mushrooms sautéed with oven roasted tomato pesto fresh basil cream sauce on Penne
Grounds