Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Gustin.
Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I grew up in Atlanta, this city was in no way walkable. After living in Boston for many years, I moved back home and was excited to see the Atlanta BeltLine forming. I saw how it was completely changing this city – it was making Atlanta walkable! I moved to an apartment with a back gate onto the BeltLine and walked on the trail nearly every day. I was there when the first food hall opened – Krog Street Market – and then Ponce City Market, and many more restaurants to follow. I was often one of the first people to try out each restaurant. Sometimes, I got there on the day they opened, even before they had their liquor license! I started bringing my friends and family to all these new restaurants and showed the BeltLine to everyone I could. I had never seen so much energy in Atlanta.
So, this naturally progressed into a business. I launched what is now BiteLines Atlanta Food Tours to show tourists and locals the BeltLine, its amazing restaurants, and vibrant street art.
We are now in our fourth season and have shown the BeltLine to numerous people from across metro Atlanta, the U.S., and the world. A year ago, we started offering something completely different – Barks and Bites, a restaurant crawl for dogs! We stop at dog-friendly restaurants that prepare gourmet dishes for the pups, and we even serve a “barkarita,” a doggie margarita made with Brutus Bone Broth. We like to say, this isn’t a restaurant crawl that allows dogs; this is a Doggie Crawl that allows humans.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Actually, my timing for launching BiteLines Atlanta Food Tours could not have been worse! I formed the business and did a soft launch in fall of 2019 with my friends as tour guests and critics, and planned to ramp up in March 2020, just as the world shut down from COVID.
So, I waited over a year until I felt like it was safe and relaunched. Those early days were tricky, as I didn’t know if I would get any bookings. But we did! I also was constantly checking protocols by the city and restaurants and updating our website and tour guests. We made sure to eat on restaurant patios in the beginning to minimize any COVID exposure. We now eat inside the restaurants. It was a tough time for all of us!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We provide an authentic experience of Atlanta through Food and Street Art Tours on the Atlanta BeltLine. Starting at Krog Street Market, named “one of the world’s best food halls” by Travel + Leisure, our tour guests get a sampling of the diverse cuisines that make Atlanta a foodie town. Along the way, we share secrets behind the vibrant street art, including ties to Hollywood. This is a fun way to discover Atlanta’s thriving culinary and street art scenes!
We also offer Barks and Bites, a one-of-a-kind BeltLine restaurant crawl for dogs! We stop at dog-friendly restaurants that prepare special dishes for the doggies, and we serve up “barkaritas” made with Brutus Bone Broth. We also take the pups shopping at pet boutiques so they can pick out their favorite toys and treats. And everyone gets swag bags from local and national dog businesses. This crawl gives back to our community – a portion of the proceeds go to a different animal rescue organization each month. There are pub crawls that allow you to bring your dog, but this is the only event we know of where the dogs are customers at the restaurant! We say, this isn’t a restaurant crawl that allows dogs, this is a Doggie Crawl that allows humans!
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most is that everyone who comes on our Food Tours or our Doggie Crawls has an exceptional experience. We are passionate about Atlanta, its restaurants, its artists, and dogs – and we want others to feel that excitement. We want to show them the best of the best – that is why we take them to restaurants that we personally recommend – restaurants we go to and bring our friends and family to.
Pricing:
- $79 Food and Street Art Tour
- $39-69 Doggie Crawl
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bitelinesatlantafoodtours.com/
- Instagram: bitelinesatl
- Facebook: bitelinesatl
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitelinesatlantafoodtours/
- Youtube: bitelinesatl
Image Credits
bitelinesatl
