There’s no question that we all have to eat.

 But what if you could get paid to eat? Believe it or not, eating is plenty of ways to make money. 

 So whether you’re a food lover or just looking for some extra income, read on for some exciting ideas!

From taste-testing new menu items to writing restaurant reviews, here are the eight best ways you can get paid to eat. 

Bon appétit!

List of Jobs That Pay You to Eat

1. Become a Food Critic

2. Phone Apps that Pay You to Eat

3. Restaurant Mystery Shopping Gigs

4.  Become a Food Tester

5.  Start a Food Blog, YouTube Channel, or Photographer of food

6.  Get Cashback When You Eat Out and Food Purchases

7. Become a Competitive Eater

8.  Get Paid to Eat Food on Camera

1-Become a Food Critic

 How Much Money Can you earn for Becoming a Food Critic?

 It depends on various factors, such as the type of critic you are.

 The size and location of the publication or website you write for and your experience level.

Generally speaking, beginners can expect to make anywhere from $25 to $50 per review.

While those with more years of experience may make up to $200 or more, many publications offer paid travel opportunities to exciting and exotic destinations to review new restaurants.

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How to Become a Food Critic:

• Take culinary courses
• Write independently on food topics
• Expand your knowledge of food
• Apply to food magazines or newspaper companies that have a food section.

It is a highly coveted career with a limited number of paid openings.

 Hard work and dedication are critical for those interested in this job.

Also, Read > How to Become a Paid Surveys Influencer.

2-Phone Apps that Pay You to Eat

You can get paid from phone apps that pay you to eat.

 A few apps will pay you to scan the food you buy and eat barcodes.

How much money you can earn from these apps varies, but it’s generally not a lot of money. 

However, if you’re looking for a way to make a little extra cash, these apps are worth checking out.

Seated App

With The Seated App, you’ll be paid to eat at restaurants or food chains.

The App is fast and easy, plus it helps restaurants avoid costly fees from third-party delivery apps.

You can browse over 1,500 curated restaurants and bars, Sorted by cuisine, price, location, and more.

A percentage of your bill will return rewards to spend on brands like Amazon, Uber, Target, and Apple.

Download the seated app and earn cash back on your food online every time you eat; it can earn you money.

OpenTable

When you book a reservation through OpenTable, you earn Dining Points.

that you redeem for Dining Rewards 

•  Amazon Gift Cards
•  Hotel Stays
•  Magazine Subscriptions

You can earn Dining Points even faster if you look out for Bonus Points reservations on the App. 

Dining Rewards are good at more than 20,000 U.S. restaurants participating with OpenTable. 

OpenTable is available in all 50 U.S. states and 40 cities internationally.

Check This Related Content: 9 Creative Ways to Make Money Online

3-Restaurant Mystery Shopping Gigs

Yes. Restaurant mystery shopping will let you earn some extra money and help out your favorite restaurant simultaneously!

 You can typically earn anywhere from $5-$25 per assignment, depending on the size of the restaurant chain.

One of the best parts about this job is that it’s completely flexible – meaning you have no schedule or work hours.

Hundreds of restaurants are out there, so chances are pretty good that there’s one near you!

Best Food Mystery Shopping Companies

The food mystery shopping industry is booming!

 Many companies offer this job if you’re interested in becoming a shopper.

 Some popular ones include:

To experience different cuisines and flavors from all over the world without leaving their home or office chair – simply by signing up with one of these innovative online platforms.

• MarketForce – Is A+ Rated by the BBB. They offer mystery shops for restaurants, groceries stores, and more.
• Coyle Hospitality – All the jobs from Coyle Hospitality reimburse for expenses and pay a fee. They have jobs for restaurants, cruises, travel, and cruises.
• Best Mark – BestMark has been around since 1986 and has four categories of mystery shopping jobs you can apply to today.
• Second to None – This company also has an A+ rating from the BBB and has several kinds of assignments. 
• Secret Shopper – This is a global company with restaurant mystery shopping assignments. Each job has different requirements and pay.
• Mystery Dining by HGEM – how it works: You Book a visit & read the brief on what to look for. Then Log in to your portal, complete your report and submit it before noon the next day. Your rewards will enter your account 3-4 weeks after your visit.
• The Source  – Pays mystery shoppers up to $40 per assignment.
• Satisfaction Services Inc.
• A Closer Look
• BestMark

4- Become a Food Tester

Becoming a food taster is a great way to earn extra cash in exchange for a short amount of your time and opinions on various food, beverage, household, and personal care products.

How Much Money Can you earn from Food Tester? 

The money earned as a food tester can vary depending on the company you work for and your experience level.

 Typically, testers are paid hourly and may receive bonuses for trying new food, finding defects, or pointing out areas that need improvement.

Overall, the average wage for a food tester is around $15 an hour. 

However, if you have several years of experience in the field and know other areas such as chemistry or nutrition, you could potentially earn more.

Food Testing Jobs

• Contract Testing: You will earn a minimum of $25-$30 per session. Many frozen food companies are looking to improve their food quality, so you will actually get paid for food reviews.
• McCormick Product Testing: They target individuals that meet the demographic requirement.

You’ll get an email from our unique automated system inviting you to answer some questions for an upcoming consumer test.

 Once you have answered the questions, the system will inform you whether or not you qualify for that specific test.

 If you are eligible to participate, they will provide you with the session times, and you can then choose the one session that best suits you if any. 

Not everyone will qualify for each test, so they will contact you for future testing opportunities even if you do not allow it.

Compensation for testing at our Hunt Valley facility is by check, for DEPOSIT ONLY.

 Compensation for Home Use Testing and Internet Surveys will reward you via an electronic Amazon.com gift card.

• Red Robin Panelist: You will be the first to see and provide feedback on new ideas and menu items.

Activities could include but aren’t limited to: taste tests, focus groups, and other research projects.

These activities occur at the testing facility in the Denver Tech Center or a local Red Robin near you.

5-Start a Food Blog, YouTube Channel, or Photographer of food

The amount of money someone earns as a blogger usually depends on how many followers they have

For food bloggers, it’s possible to make up to $5k per month from advertisers and affiliate marketing programs.

 You can also earn money from sponsored posts or product reviews if your blog gets featured in the best publications like The New York Times.”

Photographers should expect their average wage to be around $30-$50 per hour, depending on experience and location.

However, they may not see much income until they have built a portfolio with several high-quality images accepted by clients. 

Start a Food Blog

Join the Foodie Blogger Revolution!

If you’re tired of working for anyone else, why not become a food blogger?

 Remember that bloggers have to work hard before making any money, and it’s not easy. 

Follow these steps:

• First, find topics about cooking/baking or anything food-related in which interest lies within.
• Be up to date and read many food blogs looking for new trends.
• Eat out at restaurants to find popular food to write about.
• Create the content on those same interests, so people will know what recipes are coming from “you.”
• Lastly, start blogging regularly. At least once per week would be ideal.

Related: 100 Food Blog Name Ideas for Under $9

Create a Food YouTube Channel

YouTube is a great way to get rewarded if you want to get paid for food adventures.

 Many YouTubers have made their full-time income by creating videos and attracting the right people with channels dedicated to recipes, restaurant reviews, or experiences.

Set up your own personal youtube and twitch channel with content explicitly related to what you eat! 

Then implementing strategies like sponsored promotions will make sure more money keeps coming in regularly without needing additional effort.

Plus, all this exploration could lead to new creative outlets if done correctly.

 You can know more about it; check out these resources.

Become a Food Photographer

Food photography is a booming industry.

Restaurants often hire professional photographers to capture their dishes for marketing purposes.

The best way to get involved in this exciting field of work?

Take pictures! There are many stock photo sites where people upload images.

And earn money each time someone bought them.

6-Get Cashback When You Eat Out and make Food Purchases

Yes, you can earn money from cashback for your free food purchases.

 The amount of cash you can earn will depend on the merchant and the type of purchase. 

For example, some merchants offer a flat rate for all or part of an order, while others may give you points depending on how much you spend.

 It’s best to quickly search online or check out the customer reviews.

 Suppose there is no information available about this specific question.

 In that case, we recommend checking out our list below, which includes many different types of stores that might be able to help with questions related to “purchasing goods.”

Use Cashback apps:

• Ibotta: With Ibotta, you can get cash back every time you shop online, in-store, or from your phone. Withdraw your earnings to your bank, PayPal, or gift cards when you feel ready to get your cash.
• Checkout51:  With Checkout51, you can Earn Cash Back on Your Gas and Groceries. You can cash out your earnings once your account hits $20.
• Drop: The Drop app lets you start earning points. You get drop points for every purchase; You can redeem your points when your cash is 25 USD.
• GetUpside: GetUpside will pay you cash for your everyday purchases, ranging from restaurants, grocery stores, and other retailers. Earn cash back and cash out whenever you want via PayPal, e-gift card, or directly into your bank account.
• Gambeal: With Gambeal, you’re just a few seconds from earning cash at the best restaurants; help restaurants by sharing quick feedback about your daily visits.
• Mogl: Mogl, you Get paid money to eat and drink; 1000s of local places offer you up to 10% cashback.
• Seated: Seated Earn Rewards for Reservations, Takeout & Delivery. You Get up to 30% back every time from the best restaurants in town.

7-Become a Competitive Eater

Yes, you can get paid to become a competitive eater.

If you have a passion for food, You will get paid to eat fast food at these tournaments.

 The more competitions you win and the higher your placing in each contest, the greater you’re earning potential for you as an eater.

 It’s hard work, though!

Competitive eating is one of those sports where training every day is key to success. 

You must put in an effort at practice and maintain that same intensity.

Under pressure during a contest that can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more if it goes into overtime!.

All of This requires discipline and dedication on behalf of an individual.

Who want nothing less than perfection from themselves, both physically and mentally, when they step onto that stage.

Find contests near you at Major League Eating.

8-Get Paid to Eat Food on Camera

Can you make money eating on camera? Yes, it is one of the ways to make money eating.

Eating food on camera is a growing trend that’s been around for a few years now. 

 According to one site specializing in this type of work, models are paid $1-$2 per hour, depending on their location and dining experience level.

The average rate is about 20-25 cents per hour or $16-$24 per day, depending on where they live (India: less than 1 rupee/hour; U.S.: over 40 cents). 

That said, there’s no natural way of knowing how much someone would make if they ate different types of foods while filming themselves at home.

The more you eat, the better your chances of earning a larger payout.

It looks like the only thing people are asking more about these days is how they paid to eat on camera.

You’ll get to eat artisan food and describe the food taste and quality.

This modality is similar to starting a youtube Chanel but focuses more on building an audience; later, you can earn cash from affiliate programs or sponsors. 

Conclusion:

If you want to start earning money from your favorite hobby, one of the best ways is to get paid for eating food without making a purchase.

From food tasting and product development to restaurant reviewing or even just talking about your favorite foods on social media 

Here are the eight best ways to get paid to eat! Don’t forget that the most important thing is just getting started.

Which one of these would be easiest for you?