Santa Barbara Food Tour Guide

Job description:

Our Funk Zone tours are a great way to show new guests and locals alike how awesome our city's coolest neighborhood is. During the peak season (spring, summer and fall), we are busy little bees helping people get acquainted with all the great foodie and drink spots in Santa Barbara's newest, hippest neighborhood as well as teaching them the finer points of foodie photography. Right now we are gearing up for a busy fall season and that's where you come in...

We are looking to add another tour guide to our team at Eat This, Shoot That!

Eat This, Shoot That! is a walking, food/wine and photo tour company that takes guests through the Funk Zone and Presidio neighborhoods for food and/or wine tasting tours. We operate year-round and offer tours on the weekends with some midweek days mixed in, 11:15am-2:15pm.

Requirements

Do you love talking about how awesome Santa Barbara is and showing others where the best eats are in the city? Do you love being the center of attention? This could be the job for you! Eat This, Shoot That! specializes in guided walking food and photo tours of Santa Barbara's coolest new eateries and wine bars in the Funk Zone and Presidio neighborhoods. Tantalize your taste buds with local seafood, artisan hand-made baked goods, gourmet wines, craft beer, and much, much more! Enjoy a taste of Santa Barbara, while going behind the scenes to experience the exciting culture, history, and people that make our city so uniquely special!

=================TOUR GUIDE POSITION=================

We are looking for people who are high-energy, self-motivated, funny, and passionate! Love Santa Barbara and love talking about it? How about the idea of having up to 8 sets of eyeballs on you for up to 3 hours straight? Do people think you've had three cups of coffee already, when you haven't even had your first sip of the day? Then we want to talk to you!

We will provide the training to help you become knowledgeable about the history of Santa Barbara and the Funk Zone, the foods and beverages we are known for, and how to give a fun and engaging tour.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in all aspects of a small business and work with passionate individuals who are making big things happen in this town. This is a dream job for someone with strong people skills and a motor mouth and wit to boot!

================= RESPONSIBILITIES =================

Responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following:

- Give an engaging, fun, and knowledgeable tour! For more information on our tours, please visit our website: www.EatThisShootThat.com.

- Foster and nurture personal relationships with all partners, so that you can make your guests feel like they are part of something "special" for the duration of their tour.

- Provide accurate directions, restaurant recommendations, and other activities of interest to tour participants.

- Actively seek out information and interesting history and food factoids and be excited to share that knowledge with fellow Tour Guides.

- Calm under pressure, not easily flustered, quick on your feet, and ability to create personal relationships with each tour participant.

- Assist with daily operations and maintenance of the tours, including: signing guests in for each tour, troubleshooting ticketing concerns, inventory management, and notifying the team of any pertinent changes or information in a timely fashion.

- Other duties as required.

====================== A FEW REQUIREMENTS =====================

- Very high energy level. You will be performing as your job!

- Communicate and connect quickly with customers, so they feel they are part of something special. These are no ordinary tours!

- Think quickly on your feet, and not let things ruffle you easily (or at least not have it show!).

- Natural sense of humor, ability to improvise, and make people feel at ease immediately.

- Enjoy working in a flexible environment with little to no direct supervision.

- Proactive problem-solver.

- Strong organizational skills, communication, and attention to detail.

- Be a team player. Over-communication is always appreciated.

- Must be able to be on your feet and walking constantly for up to 3-4 hours straight, on a regular basis.

- Must have lived in Santa Barbara for at least 6 months.

- You must have strong knowledge of the Santa Barbara dining/activity scene (both expensive and inexpensive), tourist attractions, and how to navigate the city by foot, bus, and car to get from location to location.

- Photography skills and/or background is a plus, but not a must. We can easily teach you the ins and outs of photography using your smartphone camera.

- Must already have or be willing to procure a computer at home with internet access, smartphone, and a watch.

- Will need to complete a non-compete agreement prior to contracted position.

- Previous tour guiding experience is not required.

============= COMPENSATION =============

- $16.90/hour $40 - $100 tips/tour (tips vary based on headcount and performance)

- During training period (~14 days).

- Must be available weekdays and some weekends mid-day between 11:00am-2:30pm, plus some additional midweek happy hour/dinner hour tours.

- Preference will be given to applicants who have greater flexibility to take on extra shifts on short notice, as well as additional shifts during peak months.

- Ideal candidate would have opportunities for long-term growth (e.g. training new guides and/or leading and creating new tours).

======== CONTACT ========

- Please send a resume and (optional) cover letter.