My wife and I did the Savor the Flavor walking food tour on Easter weekend. She has done several walking food tours in New York, and we did one in Perugia, Italy. Our experiences led us to be quite excited about the one in Charleston. We liked the guide, Frannie. She was personable, knowledgeable, and kept things moving along. The disappointment stems from two aspects: 1) it wasn't much of a tour, close around the market area (though some clients might appreciate that), and mostly, 2) the food wasn't overly interesting or special or filling. We overheard comments with staff that the offerings had been adjusted "since last time", and it seemed like the adjustments had been towards standard food items. We were told to expect to be full when done, but we had dinner later.
At the first restaurant, we had fish stew, one hush puppy, and red rice. It was a reasonable start, though, really, one hush puppy?
Second we went to a candy shop that was handing out free samples. We got five small samples, then were each given a bag containing a praline (the cookie sized sugar-fest with embedded pecans). One had NO pecans at all. We didn't perceive any value in that shop. We could have achieved that result on our own.
Third we went to a spice shop. There was an interesting chat about spices, and then we could sample a variety of things, but so could the other customers that had not paid $65. Again, we didn't perceive any value.
Next we went to another restaurant, where we had a smoked oyster, some fried okra, and a biscuit with a cheese topping. The oyster was amazing, the best thing on the tour. The okra was interesting and worth trying. The total amount of food was small.
Finally we went for barbeque. I was looking forward to this! We started with baked beans and mac-and-cheese. Really? The beans were fine but nothing special. The mac-and-cheese was ordinary. The volume presented for 12 people meant that we each got a couple of mouthfuls at most. There were pork rinds, which were interesting. Finally, the main event, pulled pork. Hmm. Not a very large amount for 12 people. The best part were the sauces. The pork itself was no better than I have had many other places. Total quantity of food, again, not a lot.
As mentioned elsewhere, water and non-alcoholic drinks were provided at the restaurants. No complaints there. Nobody in the group ordered alcoholic drinks until the last stop.
Throughout, Frannie kept up a good pace of stories and anecdotes. The group didn't gel at all, so we were all just doing our own things as we kept pace.
In summary, we would not recommend this tour to others. However, my wife says she would try another Bulldog Tour. The staff were really friendly, Frannie was nice, it's just that the food portion was uninspiring, especially given the cost.