An appetite for culture

According to Bergey, food tours have been one of the fastest-growing segments of the global travel industry. He pointed out that while such services were hardly available a decade ago, they can now be found in most major Chinese cities.

Lost Plate's growth is in itself an indication of how quickly this market segment has grown. In 2014, the year it was established, the company only offered one tour in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Today, it offers nine unique tours across four Chinese cities. During its first year of operations, Lost Plate only had 500 customers. In 2018, Lost Plate hosted walking tours for more than 11,000 guests.

"Food is a universal language, and every culture is partly defined by their cuisine. Every travel blog or article always mentions what food people should eat, and many of social media's top hashtags are related to food," explained Bergey.

"Travelers want to experience the local culture through food, but in many foreign countries like China, it is very inaccessible if you don't speak the local language. Our food tours really help people discover local food and the best places to eat it which they simply aren't able to research themselves."

Simplicity has identified the opportunities offered by this trend too. Earlier this year, the company debuted its first food tour that takes guests from the old neighorhood of Laoximen to the glitzy and hip Xintiandi area in downtown Shanghai. Clients will also get to participate in fun challenges, such as eating century eggs, beef offals and other foods that are often considered exotic in foreign cultures.

"I'm really proud of this new walking tour offering because it features a seamless transition from the old world where guests get to try classic snacks to modern day Shanghai where the contemporary, cosmopolitan offerings are at," said Xu.

"This tour is not just about eating local delicacies. Rather, it's learning about the city's history through food. Telling the Shanghai story has always been integral to our company's philosophy. I think our food tour could very well be the best this city has to offer."