This Under-the-Radar Side Hustle Is the Key To Dining Out for Free
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Ashleigh Ray
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Dining out can be an enjoyable experience — until the bill comes and you see how much hard-earned cash that meal just cost you. Fortunately, there’s a side hustle you may not know about that can front you the costs for your next restaurant meal: mystery dining.
“Mystery dining is a type of ‘secret shopping’ where evaluators are hired to anonymously dine at designated restaurants to gather intel on the food, service, atmosphere, etc.,” said Mistie Boulton, the CEO of EyeSpy, a mystery shopping consultancy. “If you’re someone who is organized, thorough and loves new dining experiences, it’s a great side hustle.”
Here’s all you need to know about becoming a mystery diner.
How To Get Started
There are a number of mystery shopping programs you can sign up for, including EyeSpy. And fortunately, the process to become a mystery shopper is pretty easy.
“To become an EyeSpy secret shopper, a person simply needs to fill out a brief application with demographic and location info to ensure that they get matched to appropriate evaluations,” Boulton said.
“The candidate then receives a short quiz and a practice evaluation. Once completed and approved, they can then be scheduled for an assignment and receive a gift card or e-certificate in advance of their visit to use on their evaluation.”
What You Need To Do
Your job as a mystery shopper is to provide feedback on the experience that the business can then use to improve its offerings.
Mystery dining with “restaurant experiences or food service shops can include taking note of many aspects of the visit including ambience; service elements (graciousness, timing, server knowledge); food taste, temperature and presentation; cleanliness; payment procedure; and customized requests such as mentioning specials or visits from management,” Boulton said.
“Taking photos is encouraged for the reports, but shoppers are asked to be as discreet as possible during the shopping experience,” she continued. “People who do well as EyeSpy secret shoppers have a knack for systematic and intuitive observation. They have good recall and are detailed writers.”
Save Thousands on Dining Out and Grocery Delivery
Julie Parent has been an EyeSpy evaluator for several years, and has saved nearly $13,000 on dining out, takeout and groceries.
“So far in 2024, I’ve had $664 worth of meals covered,” she said. “In 2023, the total was about $4,800, and the year before that was about $7,200 — it was a very active year for secret shopping! I don’t have a car, so I take evaluations within walking distance or do delivery evaluations, but I easily could double my evaluations if I traveled a bit further.”
In addition to getting meals covered at restaurants, Parent is grateful for getting her grocery costs covered when she evaluates delivery services.
“These save not only money, but also time to do more gigs,” she said. “I would not normally opt for delivery given the additional fees, but they are covered for my evaluation purposes.”
The Secret to Dining Out on a Budget
When you’re cutting expenses, discretionary spending such as money spent on dining out is usually one of the first things that gets cut. Mystery dining is a side hustle that allows you to enjoy meals out without the extra pressure on your budget.
“As costs rose, dining out [was] the area I certainly would have cut to help stick to my monthly budget,” Parent said. “Secret shopping has allowed me to continue going out regularly — in many cases, the entire meal, including tip, is covered.
“Secret shopping also allows me to treat myself and splurge,” she continued. “Often, assignments require evaluators to order an appetizer and/or dessert, which I do always want, but otherwise would not order to be responsible and keep my costs down.”
Thanks to this side hustle, Parent has no longer has to be practical and worry about minimizing costs. She said, “I enjoy a full three-course meal and still stick to my monthly personal dining budget. I love doing gigs that let me indulge in the extras or visit higher-end places that are generally out of my everyday price range.”
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