How To Start A
Food Tour Business
The Only Guide Written By Someone Who Actually Built One
Matthew Gray started Hawaii Food Tours in 2004 with one car and two tourists. By the time he stepped back sixteen years later, it was the number one ranked tour and experience in the state of Hawaii — thousands of five-star reviews, a luxury fleet, and a multi-million dollar operation. This is everything he knows. In one place. For $97.
Why This Playbook Exists
Every other guide to starting a food tour business was written by a booking software company trying to sell you a subscription. Rezgo, Bookeo, Rezdy — they published free "How to Start a Food Tour Business" articles to capture the keyword and get you into their funnel.
This one was written by an operator — someone who figured out routing, restaurant partnerships, pricing, guide training, and scaling the hard way, over two decades, in one of the most competitive tourism markets in the world.
The difference isn't formatting. The difference is that Matthew actually did it.
What Is Inside the Complete Playbook
All 10 chapters. Concept through launch through scale. Written from the field — not from theory. Every system, decision, and lesson from two decades of operation.
9 worksheets built chapter-by-chapter. You fill them in as you go. By the end, you don't have a book — you have a business plan built around your city, your concept, and your numbers.
Partnership Agreement. Booking Confirmation. Review Request. Ready to use on day one. Modeled on the actual documents that ran Hawaii Food Tours for sixteen years.
A personal, one-on-one 30-minute video call with Matthew Gray. Bookable immediately after purchase. Ask him anything — your city, your concept, your pricing, your concerns.
Ten Chapters.
Every Stage of the Business.
- The Book — all 10 chapters
- The Operator's Workbook — 9 worksheets
- Three Ready-to-Use Templates
- 30-Minute Personal Consultation with Matthew Gray
Also available: the book only, on Amazon and Kindle.
The workbook, templates, and consultation are only available here.
Questions
Far less than most people think. You can launch with minimal capital if you structure it correctly from the start. The Playbook walks through every cost category — licensing, insurance, partnerships, and marketing — with real numbers from a real operation.
No. Matthew Gray's background is in media and storytelling, not professional cooking. What matters is knowledge of your local food scene, a genuine personality, and the operational systems to deliver a consistent experience.
The free guides online are written by booking software companies to sell subscriptions. This Playbook was written by a two-decade operator who built one of the most acclaimed food tour businesses in the United States — Hawaii Food Tours, Hawaii's #1 rated food tour for sixteen years.
A private, 30-minute video call with Matthew Gray — bookable immediately after purchase. Ask him anything: your specific city, your concept, your pricing, your concerns. This is a working session with the person who built Hawaii's number one food tour from scratch.
Yes — the book is available on Amazon and Kindle. The complete Playbook — with the workbook, templates, and personal consultation — is only available at lovelife.com/food-tour-business-playbook for $97.