Food and drink worth travelling for
Attract visitors from around the world
Who is it for?
Restaurants & cafes
Most stand-alone eating establishments including restaurants, bars, cafés and takeaways
Accommodation
Most accommodation providers including hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, inns and restaurants with rooms
Exclusive use venues
Any exclusive use venue offering food and drink as part of their overall package
Visitor attractions
Visitor attractions, activity providers, arts venues and tour operators that provide food for guests
Why Taste Our Best?
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Showcase your excellence
Being a Taste Our Best business means that you can be easily identified as a provider of high quality, locally sourced food and drink. This is something that we’ll help support throughout our marketing.
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Important to visitors
Food tourism is a key part of the visitor experience, with 66% of our visitors telling us that food is important when choosing a holiday destination.
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Supporting seasonality
Promoting Scottish produce in season not only meets our visitor preferences. Local food can provide freshness, reduce food miles, and offer benefits to local farmers and communities. That’s not all - seasonal food can be tastier for diners and be more affordable to serve for businesses.
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Sustainable benefits
Using seasonal local produce can have a wide range of benefits, contributing to your business’s sustainable practices. It can help you reach your net zero targets. Reducing the supply chain of your food and drink produce, after all also reduces the carbon footprint of your business.
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Benchmark your performance
Our experienced team of Quality and Tourism Advisors can help you to find areas of your business where training or investment can make the biggest difference. Engaging with our experienced team can inform business decisions through tailored insight.
How does it work?
To apply for a Taste Our Best accreditation, follow these simple steps.
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1
Review the guidance and criteria
Take a look at our Taste Our Best criteria for your type of business, so you are aware of what our team will be looking for when assessing your business. Don’t worry if you’re not sure if you can meet all the requirements, we can offer you guidance that’s right for your business.
If you have any queries, our team can help and provide advice on what will work best for you. Get in touch with us at customer.services@visitscotland.com.
Be sure to check you agree to our schedule of conditions.
Review the guidance and criteria for your business type -
2
View participation fees
Our annual fees relating to your Taste Our Best standalone membership are based on the type of food business you run. They range from just over £55 + vat for a takeaway to just over £134 + vat for a restaurant or bar.
Find our full range of fees in the Taste Our Best membership section of the following download.
Quality Assurance fees - 2023-2024
Published September 2023
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3
Complete your application
A Taste Our Best accrediation assessment is an added benefit of our Quality Assurance Scheme, so existing members won't need to sign up seperately. You can also apply for Taste Our Best as a standalone service.
Once you've signed up you will receive a welcome call from our Quality Assurance team. They will talk you through the process and explain how your first live grading visit will work before we see you in person. You'll also have the chance to ask us any questions you might have.
Are you already a member of our Quality Assurance Scheme? Then you do not need to make an application. As a Taste Our Best accreditation assessment is already included as a benefit of your membership.
Apply for Taste Our Best -
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The visit
We will come and eat at your establishment as a regular diner would, taking the form of an incognito visit.
At a time convenient to you, our Quality and Tourism Advisor will offer their expert advice and feedback specific to your business, and let you know if you have been successful in achieving the Taste our Best award.
This is a valuable opportunity to gain insights and tailored one-to-one advice about the visitor journey your business is offering.
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Your award
Following your Taste Our Best assessment visit you will receive confirmation of your award by email, along with a detailed report containing tailored advice and guidance.
You will also be provided with an award certificate and electronic logos so that you can shout about your new Taste Our Best Award.
