Food halls · Delis · Farm shops
Specialist Food Store
Staff.
Experiential food marketing works best in the shops where customers already care about food. We supply tasting and promotional staff to delis, farm shops, organic grocers and department store food halls across the UK.
Experiential food marketing staff who tell the story while the customer tastes.
Behind the tasting counter since 2007
Looking for tasting or in-store promotional work? Register with us →
Trusted by
Staff we supply
People for the counter and the food hall.
Calmer footfall means more time per customer. These are the roles specialist retailers ask for; tasting itself follows our wider product sampling standards.
Tasting counter staff
A tasting point by the shelf or chiller. Staff serve small portions properly and tell the story while the customer tastes. Suits cheese, charcuterie, preserves, bakery and chocolate.
Pairing hosts
Staff show the product with a natural partner (cheese and chutney, chocolate and coffee, oil and bread) so customers can picture the meal. Often booked for a late opening or a Saturday afternoon.
Food hall concession staff
Staff run a branded experience at a counter or pop-up in a department store food hall, ready for gift buyers as well as regulars, especially before Easter and Christmas.
Cooking and preparation demonstrators
For food products that make sense once they are cooked, dressed or brewed in front of the customer. More on our product demonstration staff.
Shelf and display visits
Staff call on independents along a planned route. They check facings, stock and labels, and fit point of sale the owner has agreed to. See our merchandising teams.
Programme leads
One lead schedules tasting days across a chain's branches and confirms timings with each store manager. They are your single contact from first date to last.
Why food brands book us
Briefed on the story behind the product.
Right to work and ID checked. Employer's and Public Liability on every booking. Food hygiene certificates for staff handling open food. DBS on request.
Your briefing becomes notes on origin, method, allergens, pairings and the lines to use, so staff can answer the questions food hall customers actually ask.
We handle PAYE, National Insurance and HR in-house, from one Saturday tasting to a year-long programme.
Geo-tagged check-ins, live attendance and a 24/7 support line answered day and night.
Where we fit
Your product, our people at the counter.
In a food hall or farm shop, people expect to hear the story: the farm, the recipe, the ageing, what to pour alongside. A fifteen-second taste in a supermarket aisle becomes a three-minute conversation here, and it is that conversation that turns a taster into a jar in the basket.
Where we fit: you agree the date with the store and bring the product, any counter or display and your serving equipment. We supply and manage the people, briefed on provenance, pairings and price points, and dressed to the store's standards.
Stores we work in
Food hall to farm shop, any counter.
Teams come from the staffing hub nearest each store, across 40 hubs in the UK. Tasting in a store type not listed here? Tell us in your quote request.
Checks and cover
Insured and ready.
From the case files
Food halls and delis we've staffed.
Tastings in department store food halls, organic grocers and premium regional stores, from single weekends to year-round programmes. See all recent work →
Verified feedback
Food brands who kept the dates coming.
Booking, step by step
From store list to tasting on the day.
The retailer or list of independents, dates, opening hours and staff per store, plus anything the store has set, such as where the tasting can stand.
Each store and date on its own line, ready for you to confirm the programme with each retailer.
People chosen for food retail experience and location, with food hygiene certificates where open food is served.
Notes on provenance, allergens and pairings, optional product training, and check-ins on each date.
Get a quote
Get a quote for specialist food store staff.
Request a quote
Request your tasting quote.
Send the store list, dates, opening hours and staff for each store, and tell us whether open food is being served. We'll send a quote itemised by store and date.
Buyer questions
Tastings in specialist stores: your questions.
Who arranges the tasting date with the store?
In most cases the brand, through its buyer or account contact, since the store has to agree the date and the spot. We then staff the date and can talk to store managers about timings once it is agreed.
Do your staff hold food hygiene certificates?
Staff serving open food hold food hygiene certificates, and every brief covers allergens and how to answer allergen questions. Tell us in the brief if the product needs preparing on site.
Can you staff independents without a head office?
Yes. Send the list of shops and dates and each one gets its own booking, often with one person covering neighbouring shops on different days.
Can you cover a gifting season across several food halls?
Yes. Pre-Christmas and pre-Easter weekends are the most in demand; booking early gives the best match of staff to each store.
Do you staff wine, spirits and beer tastings?
Yes, where the store's licence allows it. Staff work to the store's rules, and Challenge 25 and alcohol licensing are available on request.
Do you provide counters, displays or point of sale?
No. We are the staffing partner to food brands and their agencies. The brand supplies the product, any counter or display and the point of sale; our teams run the tasting and can set agreed point of sale in place.
Which stores have you worked in?
Department store food halls, organic grocers, premium regional grocers, farm shops and garden centre food halls, including Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Planet Organic and Booths.
Is this different from supermarket work?
The staffing is similar but the pace isn't: specialist stores give each customer more time. For mainstream grocery and convenience stores, see in-store and supermarket promotions.