MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Memphis is known worldwide for its great food, but the restaurants who serve it are being devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Mid-South woman doing what she can to keep the Bluff City's legacy alive. Cristina McCarter is walking her popular City Tasting Tour to your front door. She calls it a virtual food tour.
Not long ago she was walking food tourists through the doors of Memphis restaurants, several a day for a tasty experience. Now that dining rooms are closed to customers, she has refused to let this pandemic eat away at Memphis' restaurant industry.
"We hope to continue to bring business to all of the restaurants that are participating. Just continue to bring revenue because we know everybody is missing what they would normally get during these great weather months," said McCarter.
While many of those restaurants struggle to make it, doing only a portion of the business they did before the crisis, McCarter decided this was the time the tour must go on so she transformed the experience.
"We will bring it to your house, non-contact delivery, then we'll also send you an exclusive link to watch while you eat the food and watch the clips along the way, so it gives you this whole experience," said McCarter.
The tours are sold out through April with virtual food tourists enjoying non-contact delivery dinner for two, one course each from three South Main restaurants on Friday or Saturday.
Restaurants are grateful for the added business and more tours are planned for May. "As we know we hope all of them can make it and I'm just trying to do my part to make sure that can happen," McCarter said.