Dishcrawl coming to Chattanooga and seeking adventurous diners

photo Dishcrawl started in San Francisco but is moving into medium-size markets such as Chattanooga.

IF YOU GOWhat: DishcrawlWhen: 7-9:30 p.m. May 14Where: Four undisclosed restaurants on the SouthsideAdmission: $45Phone: 802-9747

Surprises are not often what one is looking for when it comes to eating, but some people do like a little adventure.

Dishcrawl, a new concept being introduced to Chattanooga on May 14, will offer both. While organizers of the event and the chefs and restaurants involved know who they are and likely even what the menu will be, patrons who buy tickets now have no idea. They will be told which restaurants they will be visiting about two days prior.

They will be given hints between now and then, just to add a little more flavor to the fun, according to Doug Wheelock, the local Dishcrawl ambassador.

"Dishcrawl started in San Francisco, and they have been doing it all over and are now moving into medium-size markets like ours," he says.

It is his job to find four restaurants within walking distance of each other and get them to participate. Patrons will visit each as a group and will enjoy three or four tapas-size samples of the chef's choosing.

"People can experience the restaurant's signature dish, but the chef might also prepare something not on the regular menu," Wheelock says. "We are trying to push people to try new things. We might do crickets or something very different like that sometime."

For Signal Mountain resident Tiffany Henry, who will be attending with her husband and some friends, the idea of not knowing where or what they will eat is definitely interesting.

"I think it is fantastic," she says. "I like to try something that wasn't on the menu. And this is a chance to try a new restaurant and maybe even one I haven't been to in a while."

Each stop will be presented as a sit-down experience with staff service.

"We'll spend about 45 minutes in each restaurant, so you'll walk in, be seated, order a drink and hopefully meet someone new and have a conversation," Wheelock says.

His goal is to do three or four Dishcrawls a month and to have them all over town.

"We might even involve a food truck or two," he says.

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