Few places have a food and drink history as unique as New Orleans’, and Doctor Gumbo Tours founder Dylan O’Donnell has created the perfect recipe for thousands of visitors to experience it every year.
Founded in 2013 by New Orleans native Dylan O’Donnell, Doctor Gumbo has become a cornerstone of the city’s culinary tourism scene. Blending his experience as a tour guide in Rome with a deep-rooted Louisiana heritage, Dylan has created tours that showcase New Orleans’ unparalleled food and drink scene. The company’s growth, from the first two years with Dylan as its only guide to an award-winning tour provider with six guides and multiple tours, is a testament to the city’s post-Katrina renaissance.
“New Orleans is a food-obsessed city with a unique cocktail culture,” Dylan explains, reflecting on his initial inspiration. “I saw an opportunity to share its rich history through the food and cocktails that were created here, giving visitors a real flavor of the city.” Today, Dylan and his team of guides lead the tastiest tours in New Orleans. They have been named one of the top 10 food tours in the country by USA Today, among their many accolades.
Here, Dylan discusses what drove him to return to New Orleans and start Doctor Gumbo Tours, the company’s growth and partnership with GetYourGuide, the passions that drive him, and where the unusual moniker comes from.
How did Doctor Gumbo Tours begin, and what inspired you?
Doctor Gumbo Tours started in April 2013, but my journey started much earlier. I grew up here. My family has been in this area since the 18th century, originally part of a group of people known as the Acadians. Their thick accents led English speakers to think they were saying a Cajun, hence that name. After university here, I spent four years in Rome, Italy. I’ve always been an avid fan of history and culture, so I got a job as a tour guide, leading groups around Ancient Roman landmarks and the Vatican City, and fell in love with it. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, I felt compelled to return home, be with my family, and help rebuild. I worked with an architecture firm for seven years before getting back into tour guiding. In that time, the city experienced a rebirth, and I saw an opportunity to combine my passion for New Orleans’ rich food and cocktail culture with my tour-guiding experience.
What makes that culture so special in New Orleans?
The city gave birth to some of the world’s most famous and oldest cocktails, as well as two unique culinary styles: Creole and Cajun. I wanted to show people that side of the city, and tell them the history behind it.
Where did the name come from?
That came from my time in Rome, where I’d cook gumbo for friends while playing music by Dr. John in the background. Suddenly, my nickname was Doctor Gumbo.
What can people experience on the tours?
We offer three main tours: a daily food history tour exploring the unique Creole and Cajun culinary traditions, tasting things like gumbo, boudin, and muffuletta, a uniquely Italian-meets-New Orleanian sandwich; and a cocktail history tour where we visit historic bars, introduce people to the Sazerac, the official cocktail of the city, and the hurricane, another local creation, and end in a jazz club; and our food and cocktail tour combines both. Each dish and drink is chosen to illustrate a part of New Orleans’ culinary history.
When did you partner with GetYourGuide, and what was the goal?
I partnered with GetYourGuide in 2016 to expand our reach, particularly to international customers. OTAs have been instrumental in our growth. Last year, GetYourGuide accounted for about 9 percent of our total bookings. Halfway through this year, we’re almost at the same number. My overall numbers are pretty constant, so it’s looking like it might be closer to 15 percent this year. That might be from our Originals by GetYourGuide tour being more prominent, or the advancements in their platform; I don’t really look at the data, but it’s definitely bringing me more people, which is great.
As a self-managed business, without an account manager, what features from GetYourGuide are most useful to you?
The seamless API integration is crucial for a smooth booking process for customers and efficient management for us. Seamlessness, on a technical level on my side but also from a customer experience point of view, is very important to me. I appreciate the platform’s ability to clearly communicate dietary restrictions and tour requirements to guests during the booking process; it reduces misunderstandings and improves the overall customer experience.
The ability to interact with customers through the platform for updates or follow-ups is also valuable. The itinerary maker is excellent. I don’t look at the analytics, and very rarely log in to the dashboard, but if it’s all running smoothly, I don’t need to.
How has working with OTAs affected your customer mix?
Before the pandemic, about 15 percent of our customer base was international, and a lot of that came through GetYourGuide. OTAs have helped us maintain and grow this international presence. Our top international markets are Canada, the UK, Oceania, and Germany. It has taken a while to recover, but we’re seeing a steady increase in international guests again, which is great as this is a truly global destination.
What other challenges have you faced, besides the pandemic?
We’ve always focused on the city’s traditional cuisine and cocktails, but we’ve had to adapt to changes in the restaurant industry. Covid was harsh on it. Venues have closed or changed ownership, so we had to adjust our routes and menus. However, with consistently high reviews and recent awards, including being named one of the top 10 food tour companies in the US by USA Today, we seem to have found a formula that works.
How do you ensure a quality experience, especially as you expand?
All my guides work exclusively for Doctor Gumbo and undergo extensive training, including shadowing me and other experienced guides. I also pay them very well, which you need to do to attract and retain the best talents. A lot of companies have annual employee reviews; I get daily reviews from our guests. Luckily, most of them are five stars.
What are some moments that have stood out to you on the tours?
Far too many to mention, but I’ve had several people over the years visiting from other cities be so inspired that they actually go back and start food tour companies in their hometowns. That’s been a really neat thing to see and be honored by.”
What else makes you most proud about what you do?
Probably that I’m able to operate at such a high level in an industry that New Orleans is perhaps most famous for. Many times I feel like an outsider looking in, but the accolades and success are there, so I just feel proud to have established a wedge in the very densely layered tourism and restaurant industry here. It’s been going for more than 200 years — a lot longer than I have.
Key takeaways
- A 121 percent growth from 2021 to 2023 on GetYourGuide; 2024 is tracking to surpass this.
- A seamless API integration and easy interactions with customers allow Doctor Gumbo Tours to manage bookings autonomously without an account manager.
- A high percentage of advance bookings, around 50 percent more than a week ahead, with a high conduction rate.
- International bookings through GetYourGuide have increased.
- GetYourGuide has been an important distribution channel for the company, with bookings from the platform growing 50 percent from 2023 to 2024.
- Flagship tour became an Originals by GetYourGuide experience, increasing visibility and bookings.
