Taste the City, a Calgary-based startup offering prepaid, guided restaurant-hopping experiences, is gaining momentum following a national appearance on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and growing local support.
In an interview, co-founders Joanna Pariseau and Melissa Ninaber said the service is designed for people who want an evening out without planning, reservations or payment hassles. “Imagine that you don’t want to make any decisions in your evening about where to go and what to eat,” Pariseau said. “We digitally guide you via text message… all your reservations are made for you.”
Customers choose a neighbourhood and a start time, then receive a text directing them to the first stop, where a tasting item is served. After 30 to 40 minutes, another message sends them to the next restaurant. Pariseau said most outings include three to five locations, all within walking distance, and are fully prepaid, including gratuity.
Pariseau created the initial concept after returning to school during the pandemic. While studying urban sustainability and local food systems at the University of Calgary, she searched for a flexible, self-guided food-tour experience while studying abroad in Italy. She said traditional tours were expensive, scheduled and guided, prompting her to build a “digitized food tour process.” The model proved popular, she said.
Ninaber, a long-time friend from elementary school, joined as co-founder and CMO after working in marketing for a tech company. “If I can make education fun, I can definitely make food fun,” she said, adding that her background in storytelling and social media aligned naturally with the needs of the two-sided marketplace.
The pair officially launched the company in January 2024 after a beta test in late 2023. They said Calgarians have embraced the concept, particularly those wanting to explore new restaurants without the stress of planning. “People were already kind of doing this on their own,” Pariseau said. “It no longer feels like enough to just go to one restaurant for the night.”
Pariseau added that diners often return to restaurants they discover during their tours. “We’re free for the restaurants… and we’re driving people to places that they wouldn’t have normally chosen,” she said.
The co-founders said their recent Dragons’ Den appearance has significantly increased visibility. Ninaber described the experience as nerve-racking but rewarding. “The minute we walked out together on that stage, I just felt a calmness come over me and we just nailed the pitch,” she said. She added that website traffic spiked after the episode aired. “Our website was crashing because so many people were going to view it.”
Pariseau credited the University of Calgary and Platform Calgary for supporting their journey, including a public watch party and recognition as a Top 10 Startup in Calgary. She said keeping the outcome of the show secret under a months-long NDA was one of the more challenging parts of the experience.
Both founders say they see opportunity for growth beyond Calgary. “We do have a list of a thousand cities and a plan of how to get there,” Pariseau said, adding they intend to bring more technology in-house and eventually hire a technical co-founder.
Ninaber said Calgary’s size, market conditions and culture have made it an ideal launch city. She noted the “beautiful sense of pride” in Alberta for homegrown startups and said local audiences are eager to try new concepts.
The founders acknowledged the challenges facing early-stage companies seeking investment in Alberta. Pariseau said the province could improve access to early risk capital. “We get a little pigeonholed,” she said. “Alberta needs to do better at being more open to higher-risk ventures.”
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