We were lucky to catch up with Briana Garza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Briana , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I believe that opportunity is everywhere, but tends to sit idle.That’s the message and legacy I would like to leave. Go. For. It. I went from the healthcare industry to a food touring agency, simply because I loved going to lunch, and loved Chattanooga. Although the industries are vastly different, the commonalities they hold have helped me greatly in the Chatt Taste endeavor. You don’t have to be the best, or even fully competent, but what you need is the willingness to learn and grow in whatever direction your business takes you.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Chatt Taste Food Tour is a business started by owner – Briana Garza. After losing my job of 10 years due to COVID-19, I decided to take a chance on myself. The proud mother of a 5th Grader, I am also a disability advocate, gardener, and of course a “foodie”. The daughter of a US Army Veteran, I spent my early years traveling base to base, country to country, solidifying my passion for exploration. Chatt Taste takes my skill set from my previous job and a passion for people and combines them into an eloquently curated experience. Imagine speed dating, but for restaurants. That is how our process works. Guests fill out a profile with dietary restrictions and allergies. That information is shared with each chef. From there, a personalized tapa-sized dish is produced. Cocktails/mocktails are available as well as a package add on. On each tour our guests visit 3-5+ local spots, depending on which tour they have selected. Since launching, we’ve been nominated for Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year and have won the city’s largest for profit grant from TVFCU. With this grant, Chatt Taste was able to purchase a 15 person passenger van to provide transportation from spot to spot on some of our tours. One of the problems we are able to solve for our guests is having answers to the age old questions “what should we do tonight?” or “What do you want to eat?” One of the things I’m most proud of is Introducing my daughter to entrepreneurship and showing her that there are alternate ways to find success and happiness besides higher education. She has been along with me for the ride, so much so that the 29+ local restaurants all refer to her as “The Manager”. What sets Chatt Taste apart from other food tours is that our menu is completely modifiable to fit your personal needs and likes. It is not always the same offerings from the same restaurants. We like to switch things up! What I would want potential guests to know is that having a quality dining experience doesn’t need to break the bank. We offer an exclusive but inclusive dining experience and access to the chefs of these gourmet restaurants for an affordable price. Anyone can experience Chatt Taste!
Any advice for managing a team?
I think working with food helps… A LOT! You can’t really go wrong. Our tour guides are outgoing, friendly people with a huge appreciation for delicious meals and always enjoy hosting groups of other foodies! They are Chattanooga lovers as well, so sharing tidbits about our city throughout the tour comes second nature to them. We have very flexible, low maintenance schedules, so working for Chatt Taste is perfect for those who have other life commitments but are looking for a little something else.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We do all we can to stay active in the online community and on social media. We want to know what the latest trends are so we produce content that everyone enjoys looking it. We have gained a large flowing by building relationships and sharing the successes of other local brands and companies. We are huge cheerleaders for all of a partner restaurants and make a point to share with our followers news, specials, and other exciting information about those restaurants, and other Chattanooga restaurants as well! We take an interest in individuals as well. We like to share our guests that love the tour so much they left a review or made a personal post about our tour. Include everyone. Also, keeping everything updated and keeping your followers in the know about whats going on lately with Chatt Taste. If it’s a new tour, a new menu, a new employee… we like to stay up to date.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chatttaste.com
- Instagram: chatttaste
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChattTaste