How to Start a Travel Blog In Six Easy Steps

Anyone can start a travel blog — but starting a quality travel blog is a much more involved task. It involves time, it involves investment, and it involves a LOT of work.

Lots of people plan on starting a travel blog just to keep their family and friends updated on their travels. If that’s all you want, there’s nothing wrong with that! Go create a free WordPress.com blog.

BUT. If you want more people than just your friends and family to read your blog, if you want strangers to find your blog and thank you for it, and if you want the possibility of making money with your travel blog someday, this is how you want to go about starting it.
You’re ready. You’ve chosen a travel blog name, you have a few posts in mind, and you have some tantalizing travel plans on the horizon. Fantastic. Let’s put together your dream blog.

Step 1: Get Hosted

Don’t worry — hosting sounds scary, but it isn’t whatsoever! It’s just renting a little piece of the web for your site. So, which host should you choose?
I recommend Bluehost for nearly everyone, new bloggers included. I use Bluehost for almost all of my sites because it offers quality hosting for a low price ($6.95 per month for 12 months) and I can always get through to them when something goes wrong. They give you your domain name for free, too!
From the front page, start by clicking the big Get Started Now button:


Next, choose the box on the left and put in your new domain name:

You’ll be taken to a page where you can decide on your package and some add-ons:

For your account plan, you can choose basic hosting plans for 12, 24, or 36 months. I recommend you go with the 12-month plan for $6.95 as anything can happen within a year and it’s just $1 more per month than the 24-month plan.
For the add-ons on the list, you don’t need Search Engine Jumpstart or SiteLock Domain Security. You can pay for the Site Backup Pro if you’d like, but I prefer to do the backing up myself. (I use the $80 plugin Backup Buddy).
Domain Privacy Protection, however, is something that you SHOULD spring the extra $9.99 for. Anyone can look up who owns any site; if you don’t pay for Domain Privacy Protection, anyone can see your name and mailing address on your site.
After your account is secured, it’s time to get WordPress up and running.

Step 2: Install WordPress

WordPress is one of the world’s largest publishing platforms. It’s immense, it’s easy, it’s used by multimillion-dollar publishers like CNN and People magazine, and nearly every blogger I know uses it, which means there are lots of professionals out there to help you out if anything goes wrong.
Bluehost offers easy one-click WordPress installation, which saves you from struggling through it or hiring someone to do it. On the cPanel, BlueHost’s home screen, you’ll see this button:

Click through and it will take you through a simple installation process. When it asks you where you’d like to install it, choose your domain (http://www.mynewtravelblog.com).
Once you install WordPress, it will tell you where to log in (usually www.mynewtravelblog.com/wp-admin) and your name and password. From that page, you’ll be able to log in to your WordPress dashboard:

Step 3: Install Plugins

Think of WordPress as a blank canvas — plugins are add-ons that make your travel blog functional. The vast majority are free; some free plugins ask for donations. Some premium plugins charge.
In the right side bar, click on where it says “plugins” and select “add new” to search plugins by keyword.

Here are the plugins that I recommend for new travel bloggers (and all of them are free!):
Akismet – Keeps spam under control (and yes, you will get LOTS of spam otherwise!)
Comment Reply Notification – Notifies commenters when they have a new reply to their comment. (It’s a courtesy thing.)
Contact Form 7 – Allows you to install a simple contact form so people can email you through your site.
Digg Digg — Displays social media icons on a floating sidebar, making it easy for people to share your posts.
Facebook Social Widgets — See that little Facebook widget on my right sidebar? That! Makes it easy for people to become your fan on Facebook.
FD Feedburner Plugin — Manages your feed, your stream of new content.
Google XML Sitemaps — Makes it easy for search engines to find your content.
nRelate — Puts little images of related posts at the bottom of each post, showing people more content they might like.
Photo Dropper — Helps you add Creative Commons photos to your site the easy way and cites them legally. You should use your own pictures whenever possible, but this is good when you don’t have pictures from certain destinations.
Ultimate Google Analytics — Installs Google Analytics, the industry standard of measuring your site’s visitors and traffic.
WordPress SEO by Yoast — Helps you create content that shows up better in search engines.
WPTouch Mobile Plugin — Makes your site look nice and easy to read on mobile phones.

Step 4: Secure Social Media Handles

Grab your desired screenname on each of the big ones – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and yes, Google+. Try to keep your name the same across all domains, except for Google+, which uses your full name.
Keep in mind that Facebook will not let you create a custom URL until you have 25 fans.

Step 5: Start an Email List

Do you really need an email list? Ask any marketer or web guru — an email list is the single most valuable thing that your site can have. People are far more likely to see your content via email than they are by any other social network, and while social networks come and go, email addresses are here to stay.
My first big blogging mistake was not starting an email list at first. When I finally did, I made my second big mistake — starting it on Mailchimp, a free provider. When it was time to switch to a premium service that gave me more options, I lost a huge portion of my email list in the process because you can’t just add all your names on a list — they need to confirm it yet again.
Today I use Aweber, the best email service out there, and I’m kicking myself because I wasn’t using it from the beginning.

Step 6: Join Travel Blog Success

If you want to build the kind of travel blog that eventually earns money, join the best resource: Travel Blog Success.
I didn’t want join Travel Blog Success at first. I didn’t think I needed it, and being a contrarian by nature, and the fact that so many top travel bloggers were members made me not want to join.
Eventually, I became a member and I was blown away by how beneficial the content was. I had access to all the lessons, all the webinars and interviews, and best of all, a fantastic private Facebook group full of helpful bloggers who are always eager to talk about how they’re building their blogs and earning money. In short, this is the resource that will help you build the best blog you can — and get paid for it.

Now What? Blog Prolifically and Be Patient

I always tell new bloggers to write at least four times a week to start. In your early days, blogging prolifically is the best thing you can do — because you’ll develop your voice, you’ll see what resonates with readers, and you’ll gain a greater understanding of what your blog should be.
Know that it’s not easy. It will take a long time and a tremendous amount of work before you gain a valuable audience interested in what you have to say on a regular basis. But once you do that, the perks in this field are OUTSTANDING.

On Charleston and Victims of Timing

What do Luang Prabang, Barcelona, Bali, and South Korea have in common?

For me, they were victims of timing.

I visited each of these destinations at the worst time — either at the tail end of exhausting adventures, or after an incredible destination that I hadn’t wanted to leave in the first place.
As a result, I didn’t go in with the best attitude possible, and as a result, I feel like I need to revisit each of them in order to be captured by their magic.

Charleston was like that.

It was the end of the #SouthUSA trip, and especially after falling for Savannah so hard and leaving before I wanted to, it was hard for me to be effusive about Charleston.
One of my readers told me that in her family, they say that you’re either a Charleston person or a Savannah person. Well, I am undoubtedly a Savannah person, with no disrespect to Charleston itself!
Had I visited Charleston as a standalone trip, I think I would have been bubbling over with praise for this city, its beauty and charm and deliciousness. People LOVE Charleston. I just didn’t feel strongly about it.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy myself. I really did have a good time in South Carolina’s prettiest city.

I loved exploring the beautiful mansions down the Battery.

If you’re into architecture — and I very much am — Charleston is one of the great architecture cities of the U.S.

This thirsty kitty was the star of the Battery — he was surrounded by people taking pictures of him!

On recommendation from my bud Tom, I checked out Jestine’s Kitchen. Tom is one of the people I wholeheartedly trust when it comes to food, and he didn’t disappoint!
If you’re looking for some Southern comfort in the heart of Charleston, make this place a priority — the food was fab!

Easily the biggest fried chicken I had across the South, cooked to bronze perfection.
Also, macaroni and cheese was listed on the menu as a vegetable. Because THE SOUTH.

Mario and I shared a Coca-Cola cake for dessert: a sweet, sticky chocolate cake made with Coke instead of water. Because THE SOUTH.
After lunch, we headed out for some more strolling and a photo walk.

There’s a fire station right in front of Jestine’s, which makes a great Southern photo op.

Charleston’s market is a good place to stop for souvenirs and see the beautiful (and crazy expensive!) handwoven Gullah baskets.

Romance at the Custom House!

I loved this little park.
I can see why people love this city. It’s beautiful, friendly, a nice small size, and the food is fabulous.

The #SouthUSA Verdict

After traveling through the South, I came to the conclusion that the trip would have been better in reverse. I found New Orleans, Savannah and Seaside to be my three favorite destinations of the trip, and this trip spreads them out better.
Doing the trip in reverse would start off with Charleston before hitting with the even better Savannah, some downtime across Florida and a beautiful stop in Seaside, some quiet time in Mississippi and Alabama before finishing in New Orleans, the most impressive destination of all.

Where I Stayed: Country Inn and Suites, Summerville

Over the course of this trip, I loved my stays at the Country Inns and Suites. But the Summerville Country Inn had a very different ambiance to it. The Country Inns I visited were three-star hotels with service that made it feel like a four-star; this one was very lax and casual by comparison — I always felt like I was intruding when I approached the front desk.
The beds were made messily; the staff hung out in front smoking while on duty. I was floored when the breakfast service used not only disposable dishes and utensils but STYROFOAM plates – this seemed like an enormous waste and a complete 180 from the other Country Inns that talked about how they were helping the environment.
Plus, Summerville is a 30-minute drive from downtown Charleston, which is impractical (especially in a town where parking is expensive and tough to find).
There isn’t a Country Inn in downtown Charleston, but there is one in North Charleston — I’d stay there next time. As for my feedback on the Summerville property, it’s been shared with the company prior to this post, and I hope they implement changes so that it represents the brand better.

Thoughts on Train Travel in America

I often get asked what other countries have that the U.S. doesn’t. My answer is always the same: a more comprehensive train system.

I love trains.

From the sleek bullet trains of Japan to the impossibly comfortable cars on Austria’s first-class cars to the ultimate luxury journey on rails, the Blue Train in South Africa, some of my most memorable travel experiences have taken place on trains, and watching the countryside roll by from the comfort of my seat is one of my favorite ways to relax while traveling.
Now, what does that have to do with America?

The United States is the single most car-oriented country that I’ve ever been to. In my Massachusetts hometown, one of my friends was an oddball because she didn’t get her license as soon as possible and instead waited until the end of senior year at age 18. By contrast, most of my British friends got their licenses in their twenties and some of them still don’t have a license at all!
As a result, long-distance train travel isn’t nearly as common in America as it is in other regions of the world. In a country where it’s challenging to get by without a car unless you spend most of your time in cities, the train system isn’t as modern and comprehensive as in, say, Italy, where you can get from Milan to Naples, a distance of 480 miles, in just over four hours on the high-speed train.
By contrast, Savannah to Richmond is a slightly shorter distance, 466 miles, and takes more than 10 hours.
Additionally, I’ve found that while train travel is almost universally more expensive than bus travel around the world, trains in the U.S. tend to be disproportionately expensive, and there is an enormous gap between the cost of a bus and a train, due in part to the ubiquity of low-cost bus routes.
So American train travel has its challenges. But that doesn’t mean traveling by train in the U.S. isn’t worth it.

Traveling the U.S. by Amtrak 

“Let the train take the strain.” This was a slogan in Britain back in the day, and I love it because it represents how I feel about train travel.
Taking the train is about letting go. I think there’s an ease to train travel that isn’t there on plans and definitely isn’t there on buses or in cars. It’s smooth, it’s free, and the route is set.
That’s a huge contrast to a road trip, where you’re paying attention to your driving, making sure your gas doesn’t run out, staying alert in rainstorms, and trying to reach destinations while you can still photograph them before the sun goes down. (Not to mention keeping the peace in an enclosed space with your partner for several hours each day!)
And so this train trip was the perfect coda to our road trip from New Orleans to Charleston. Months before, Amtrak had contacted me and offered me a complimentary long-distance train journey; the timing was perfect, and I chose the Amtrak Palmetto train from Charleston to Washington, DC, a ten-hour journey through the Carolinas and Virginia. This is actually just a small portion of the route – the Palmetto in its entirety runs from Savannah to New York City via Charleston, Richmond, DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia.
The road trip was about control.
The train was about ceding it.
There was nothing to do but sit back and watch the world go by, maybe read for a bit, and catch up on work. Something surprisingly rare.

Mario and I were in the business class car. The main benefits of business class on Amtrak are larger, nicer seats with more leg room, more storage, fold-down trays and electrical outlets. (In other words, if you’re going to work or write on the train, business is where you want to be.)
That said, business class on Amtrak is nothing to write home about – I’d compare it to economy class in most European countries. It’s slightly larger with slightly better seats and plugs. There was no wifi, and the car looked old. (In the past, I’ve traveled on the Acela, a “superior class” train running  from Boston to DC, and THAT train is on par with first class in Europe.)
While train travel in the U.S. can be expensive, you can find the Charleston-DC journey for under $100 if you book at least a few weeks in advance. Last-minute bookings can cost more than $200. Business class cost each of us an extra $48 each.
It can be expensive flying from a city like Charleston that isn’t a major hub. Fortunately, traveling by train doesn’t add on premium fees for destinations like these, and for that reason, taking the train can work out to be cheaper than flying. The experience, of course, is infinitely better than flying!
I really wonder whether we’ll be seeing major expansions to Amtrak in the future. It’s something that every politician seems to prioritize while campaigning but it seems to fade away as soon as they take office. I would so love to see long-distance train travel become more common in America and have an improved and more comprehensive route network, but I really have no idea if it we’ll be seeing major changes even within the next decade.

The Best Eats of the American South

To say I was looking forward to Southern food would be an understatement. I literally planned the whole #SouthUSA trip around what I would be eating! Southern food is rooted in so much tradition and has so many geographic influences, from Africa to France to the Caribbean to Ireland, and I was so excited to finally try it for myself.

Traditional Southern food also has the reputation of not being so healthy. While you can eat healthy-ish in the South if you’re committed and have iron willpower, traditional food here is very heavy. Lots of butter, lots of cream, lots of fried food. If you’re trying to eat healthy, I recommend that you indulge with one traditional meal per day, ideally at lunch, and make up for it with a salad at dinner.

But if you’re happy to dive into the culinary goodness of the South, your taste buds will thank you. The food here was just as good as I imagined.
Here are my favorite food experiences, from New Orleans to Charleston:

Beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana

Trust me — this is the ONLY way to begin a perfect day in New Orleans. Cafe du Monde is one of the culinary icons of New Orleans and the menu is so short that it’s printed on the menus. Coffee. Beignets. That’s it.
These aren’t just donuts. They’re more akin to the fried dough you get a theme park — but better. More flavorful. Square. And a single serving includes three beignets! Believe me, you’ll need to stop yourself from going back multiple times each day.
Just know that you will get powdered sugar all over yourself. This might not be the time to eat black.
Serving of three beignets, $4; cafe au lait, $2.

Shrimp and Alligator SausageCheesecake and Fried Chicken at Jacques-Imo’s in New Orleans

Jacques-Imo’s shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake was by far the most unique dish I tried throughout the South — and one of the most delicious. I was ready to eat another after finishing the first!
Jacques-Imo’s is such a cool, hip restaurant in the Uptown area, far from the French Quarter (take the streetcar, but you’ll need to take a cab during Mardi Gras). It’s colorful and friendly.
Accoutrements include this cute cornbread:

And the salad, which comes with an adorable fried oyster!

Next came the fried chicken, which was highly recommended by the staff. They think it’s the best fried chicken in the city, the waitress told me.

As for that chicken? So much juice. So much flavor. I’ve never had a fried chicken that moist in all my life!
Jacques-Imo’s was my favorite high-end restaurant of the trip, and it’s well worth the journey to Uptown New Orleans. Make sure to head there earlier and check out the cute shops around the restaurant.
Alligator cheesecake, $9; fried chicken, $18.95 including dark or $19.95 for all white meat.

Ferdi Special at Mother’s in New Orleans

What is a Ferdi Special? A baked ham sandwich with roast beef, debris, and gravy. What is debris? Pieces of meat that fall off the roasting meat into the gravy.
If a sandwich is capable of making me cry, this would be it. I never dreamed that this combination of ingredients would work so well together and melt so well together into a pile of delicious glory.
Mother’s Restaurant is a casual restaurant in the central business district, around the corner from the French Quarter. You’ll have to wait in line to order food, sit down, and your food is brought to you. Tipping is strictly forbidden here.
And the Bloody Mary here is one of the best I have EVER had anywhere.
Ferdi Special, $11.75 for a regular or $10.25 for a 2/3 portion. Bloody Mary, $7.

Broiled Oysters at Half Shell Oyster House in Biloxi, Mississippi

I am an oyster aficionado and considered myself a purist — raw or nothing! — until I had these incredible oysters at Half Shell Oyster House in Biloxi.
I’ve said a lot about them already, so I won’t reiterate it — but these oysters, particularly the signature Half Shell oysters broiled with garlic and parmesan, were the best oysters that I have ever had in my life. What a marvel, and what a find in Half Shell.
12 broiled oysters, $18.

Pulled Pork Sandwich at The Shed in Ocean Springs, Mississippi

It’s rare to find a place that does both food and design SO well. The Shed is one of those examples, and it’s no surprise that there is now a Food Network TV show based around this restaurant!
The pulled pork sandwich is their most famous item on the menu, and it will blow your mind. The pork falls apart so easily and beautifully.

The Shed is made from salvaged objects and random objets d’art found in junkyards and at the end of driveways. But you can obviously tell that someone with an eye for design pulled the whole place together. It’s well worth a visit if you’re driving through coastal Mississippi! In fact, we met a man who travels often between Pensacola and New Orleans for work and he told us he always stops at The Shed en route.
Pulled pork sandwich, $7; jumbo pulled pork sandwich, $9.

Throwed Rolls and Fried Frog Legs at Lambert’s Cafe in Foley, Alabama

Throwed rolls! Really, they’re a thing. In this restaurant, if you want a roll, it won’t come on a plate — it will be thrown at you by a designated roll-thrower.
Lambert’s Cafe was first founded in Missouri more than 70 years ago. Today, bizarrely, there are two Missouri restaurants and one here in the small town of Foley, Alabama. Lambert’s features pure Southern home cooking, and a LOT of it.
Servers come around with apple butter for the rolls.

I have to point out that this was an extraordinarily difficult place to shoot photos. It’s dark inside, and the roll-throwing is an action you don’t want to miss. My photos are all so grainy due to the ISO, even with noise reduction; this makes me want to get a camera that can handle low light better!
The roll-thrower threw me a throwed roll of my own.

The roll throwers aren’t aggressive at all — they won’t whip it at you or make it difficult for you to catch. It’s just a fun, friendly thing that they do.
As for the main dish, we both had the fried frog legs. “If you haven’t had them in a while, you need to try these!” reads the menu. And they were lovely — gently fried with a great seasoning..

In addition to the entrees, Lambert’s offer “pass-arounds” — servers walk around announcing, “Fried potatoes and onions…fried potatoes and onions…” and serve you a generous portion if you’re interested. They’re free in addition to entrees and are unlimited.
At Lambert’s more than anywhere else, I felt like I was DEEP in the South. Foley isn’t remotely a tourist area, and it took us an hour to get there from Pensacola. We were surrounded by locals. (A quick glimpse at the website shows that famous people do drop into Lambert’s every now and then, mostly country singers.) If you want a very local experience in the South, this is where to go.
Frog legs with throwed rolls and pass-arounds, $15.99.

Key Lime Pie at The Shrimp Shack in Seaside, Florida

You can’t go to Florida without trying some key lime pie. I was actually nervous over whether Mario would like this. He spent forever contemplating his first bite of pie, chewing slowly, thinking, and just before I was about to explode, he said, “This is the key lime pie of my LIFE.”
The Shrimp Shack has a lighter, creamier pie rather than a dense, tart one. It’s smooth and the perfect dish to eat on the sun in the far-too-picture-perfect village of Seaside.
Key lime pie, about $5.

Lunch at Mrs. Wilkes’s Boarding House in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a city steeped in ritual and tradition, and no place exemplifies that better than Mrs. Wilkes’s Boarding House, arguably the most famous eatery in town (and definitely the most famous one not owned by Paula Deen).

Every weekday, people line up starting at 9:30 AM for the first seating at 11:00 AM. People are welcomed in, sat at large communal tables and fed family-style — after the food is blessed, of course. Afterwards, you clear your plate and pay a flat $18 per person, cash only, at the door.
As for the food, this will be one of the very best home-cooked meals you will have across the South. Some of the standouts include the stuffing, greens, and black-eyed peas — but in my opinion, it’s the best fried chicken that I had across the South.
Family-style lunch, $18.

Fried Chicken and Coca-Cola Cake at Jestine’s Kitchen in Charleston, South Carolina

If you want a hardcore fried chicken, Jestine’s is the place. While I thought Mrs. Wilkes had the best overall chicken and Jacques-Imo’s had the moistest chicken, Jestine’s is for people who love skin. Particularly if you go crazy for Chinese take-out chicken wings. The skin is thick and fried perfectly, a luxurious indulgence on a fried chicken.
You can’t go to Jestine’s without asking if they have Coca-Cola cake for dessert today:

Extremely sweet, and it makes you wonder why we don’t use Coca-cola instead of water in all of our baked goods. This place is a must for any trip to Charleston and it’s in the heart of the downtown area.
Fried chicken plate, $12.95; desserts, $5.95.

Bites Along the Way

While I wouldn’t put these items in the top tier, here are a few memorable meals we had along the way.

Gumbo at World Famous N’Awlins Cafe and Spice Emporium in New Orleans. This place is 100% geared toward tourists and in the heart of the French Market, but don’t let that stop you — this place has a more extensive menu of unusual Cajun and Creole dishes than anywhere else I saw.
Gumbo, about $8.

Fried Oyster Po Boy at Magazine Po Boy Shop in New Orleans. If you’re exploring the Garden District, this is a great place to stop for a bite. I loved my fried oyster po boy, and it definitely needs a bit of hot sauce!
Fried oyster po boy, about $10.

Redfish Meuniere at Coop’s Place in New Orleans. Coop’s is a casual bar and restaurant in the French Quarter that everyone seems to love. It’s a nice place to stop for a not-too-pricey meal, and I loved my Creole redfish topped with shrimp.
Mario got the taste plate, which included seafood gumbo, shrimp Creole, Cajun fried chicken, red beans and rice, and rabbit and sausage jambalaya — a great option if you want to get a taste of everything.
Redfish Meuniere, $17.50; Coop’s Taste Plate, $12.95.

Pralines at Magnolia Praline Company. You’ll see pralines all over New Orleans — and Savannah, as well — but you can’t beat a fresh, warm praline newly formed after resting on the counter. It will melt in your mouth — and you’ll never be able to have one again!
Fresh praline, about $2.

Buffalo Blue Cheese and Tacos at alFRESCO food truck park in Pensacola, Florida.
Don’t think that food trucks are restricted to hipster hangouts. We found alFRESCO in the heart of downtown Pensacola, a short walk from the historic area.
I can’t resist a good collection of food trucks, especially when they’re made from Airstream trailers, and went to the Z Taco truck while Mario went for grilled cheese at Gouda Stuff.

Fun fresh food, and a nice break before hitting up Pensacola Beach.
Blue buffalo grilled cheese sandwich at Gouda Stuff, $5.50; Z Tacos at Z Taco, $3.50 each.

Grouper Chowder at Boss Oyster in Apalachicola, Florida. While I sadly wasn’t impressed with the oysters, I did enjoy the grouper chowder, made in a style similar to New England clam chowder.
And only in America can you have a peanut butter pie for dessert!

Totally processed…but sometimes you need a dessert that is essentially candy on a plate.
Grouper chowder, about $6; peanut butter pie, about $5.

Pizza at Vinnie Van Go Go’s in Savannah. They are huge, and they are delicious. (Thanks to Kristin for her wonderful Savannah food recommendations — I definitely wouldn’t have found this place without her!)

Believe it or not, we only had two tiny slices left when we were done.
Large pizzas from $12, medium pizzas from $10.

And One Major Issue

It really bothered me seeing how much food was wasted in the South. I’m not sure if this is as common throughout America these days or simply amplified in the South, but it’s definitely something that you notice after traveling the world and seeing how little food is wasted elsewhere.
At Mrs. Wilkes’, most of the family-style bowls on the table had only been half-eaten by the time we had left. Add it up and that’s a TON of food that could be donated to a soup kitchen.
But due to health codes, you cannot re-serve or eat anything that has been served to customers. Even if it’s served family-style like this.
But SO MUCH was left over. Maybe our table didn’t eat as much as most, but it seems like there would be no harm done if they served the food in smaller dishes and brought out more when it was needed.
Lambert’s was another place that made me feel uncomfortable. Plates filled with food were left behind by customers. The portions were so enormous, even before adding the pass-arounds, and most of the time people wanted to catch the throwed rolls for fun, not to eat them.
While it seems like the solution would be simply to REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD SERVED!!, it’s not that easy for restaurant owners who have to contend with keeping their customers pleased. I do hope that places keep this in mind.