Amy Whitfield hopes that Triple A tours will be running franchised tours in Edinburgh as soon as June 2026
00:22, 04 May 2026
A North East food tour business which celebrates the region’s cuisine is hoping to expand to other parts of the UK. Triple A Food Tours was established in 2019, with the intention of showcasing Newcastle’s independent food scene ‘in all its glory’.
Since that first tour of Newcastle’s Grainger Market, Triple A has grown to add tours of Durham, the Northumberland Coast, and most recently Sunderland in October last year. Now, founder Amy Whitfield wants to replicate the success Triple A has had in our region in other areas of the UK, making the announcement on her company’s seventh anniversary.
Cramlington lass Amy says that she has been discussing franchising behind the scenes with tour guides and businesses for the last six months, and there could be Triple A guided tours in Edinburgh and Leith, and the Lake District and Carlisle starting up as soon as June 2026. And in news that will undoubtedly excite North East foodies, a long awaited tour of Whitley Bay, Cullercoats and Tynemouth could finally be on the cards.
Amy, who was inspired to start Triple A after doing a food tour in New York City and realising there wasn’t a North East equivalent, told ChronicleLive: “Food tour experiences exploded after the pandemic. People wanted to do things and spend more time with family and friends, it’s more of an experience than buying a gift.
“We have grown to have 11 food tours across the North East. Business has gone from strength to strength.”
The establishment of Triple A Food Tours in Newcastle has brought Amy a handful of North East Tourism Awards and even a nomination for England’s tourism superstar award, though she ultimately lost out in the final to Pete Chambers of the Coventry Music Museum.
Nevertheless, she now employs 12 tour guides, and says that she has been asked where her next tour will be, but “can’t be in several places at once;” hence her intentions to franchise. She will train guides outside of the North East, and wants to support people to start their own businesses like she did when on maternity leave from her corporate job.
Amy said: “People have asked about Liverpool, the Lake District, but how can I be in all those places? That’s where we started looking at the franchise opportunity.
“Many tours all across the country is an opportunity for someone to create their own business. I love the thought of helping people do what I did.
“Maybe they have children, or they’re looking for a different pace of life or career change. Maybe they just want to do something completely different, and I’m really excited to help.”
The 41-year-old also hopes that working with independent hospitality businesses from markets to Michelin Star restaurants will bring them an alternative income stream, whilst acknowledging the strain that the hospitality industry is under. Many much-loved cafés, restaurants and bars have closed in recent months, most recently Whitley Bay’s Pranzo, due to increased costs across the board.
Amy finished: “In the current climate, there’s so much negative press about hospitality, there are lots of closures across the North East and across the country. For us, with the franchise opportunity, we’re proud to say we want to support not just our region, but other independent restaurants across the UK as well.”
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