18 Real Ways To Get Paid To Eat: Earn Easy Cash For Eating

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You might find it hard to believe, but the opportunity to get paid to eat is now a legitimate way to earn money. There is no need to wake up from your dream and face reality anymore:

Instead, you can grab drinks with friends at your favorite bar to celebrate the fact that you can get cash each time you indulge your sweet tooth or devour a delicious dish. It doesn’t matter where you live:

Nowadays, you don’t have to visit a place like Gelato Messina or Nene Chicken to reward your stomach and wallet. Besides, the platforms that will allow you to make money eating don’t care if you live in New York, Hunt Valley, or anywhere else:

Most ways to earn from eating are available worldwide. Whether you prefer fast food or a gourmet meal, filling your stomach can bring you a paycheck.

Today, I’ll show you the best ways to receive cash while eating, including working as a mystery shopper at your favorite restaurants, monetizing a food blog, or becoming a food critic. Content creators will appreciate everything I have to say!

This post may contain affiliate links – read my disclosure for more info.

Recommended Read:

What Job Should I Do If I Love Food?

How To Get Paid To Eat: Best Ways To Make Money Eating

1) Become A Food Blogger

Nowadays, you can make money from eating in various ways. Let me tell you why becoming a food blogger is at the top of the list:

Launching a food website is an excellent way to get paid to eat each time you feel like it. It will allow you to make money from home while doing what you love – cooking or eating!

Bloggers monetize their content in multiple ways, including affiliate marketing (promoting high-quality food products for a commission), sponsored posts, or selling their physical or digital products.

Starting a local food blog can be more than a side hustle. Once you develop it and build an audience, that blog will become a full-time income source.

In recent years, visiting your favorite restaurants to get free meals in exchange for a review has become the new normal for food bloggers. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of that opportunity!

Turning a new food blog into a successful online business takes time and effort – the sooner you begin, the better. Choose a catchy domain name and get an affordable web hosting service with SiteGround to start your dream job!

2) A Food Tester

A food tester (or taster) gets paid to sample new food products and meals. Having a superior sense of taste is not enough to become a food tester:

Food testing is for people who can describe any food by utilizing their taste and odor recognition skills. The job is not for you if you have different food allergies.

Each food tester must be at least 21 to score a gig. Securing a food-tasting job will be easier if you live near a food-testing location.

How much money can you make as a food tester? Typically, a food testing gig offers huge rewards: you can exchange them for gift cards. You can still earn cash instead of an Amazon gift card, though:

The paying food testing positions are full-time jobs – you may see them when you stumble across a job description like sensory panelist, taste tester, or food scientist. Professional taste testers earn $16-$20 an hour.

See Also: Easy Jobs That Pay $40 an Hour

3) A Restaurant Mystery Shopper

Assuming there is some room in your future social calendar, sparing time to act as a restaurant mystery shopper is worth considering. But what does a mystery shopper do?

Mystery shoppers behave as customers at local restaurants or other businesses. They must visit that place, take photos of the products, fill out a report, and send it to the mystery shopper agency they work for.

Next, mystery shoppers receive compensation for the effort (cash or free food). I should mention that these workers are getting paid by the agency, not the restaurant owner.

Working as a restaurant mystery shopper is a great way to get paid to dine out. Are you the type of person suitable for the job?

Most restaurant mystery shopper agencies have requirements you must meet before they hire you. For instance, they’ll approve you as a successful candidate if you showcase good communication skills and attention to detail.

Where can you find mystery shopping companies to join? Feel free to become a mystery eater through BestMark, MarketForce, or the Coyle Hospitality Group.

4) A YouTuber

start a food YouTube channel to get paid to eat

Do you know how to get paid to eat and travel? A simple way to do that is to start a YouTube channel.

The most successful food YouTubers live an incredible lifestyle – they have the opportunity to travel the world and indulge in magnificent culinary experiences from different cultures. How about the fan favourites Din Tai Fung and Coco Fresh Tea?

Who in their right mind would say no to that? Although building a successful YouTube channel requires effort and patience, the venture will be worth it:

Uploading high-quality content (and staying consistent on YouTube) will allow you to monetize your channel through the YouTube Partner Program. Of course, you must meet its requirements (at least 1,000 subscribers & over 4,000 watch hours in the last year).

Other ways to monetize your food-related YouTube videos are through affiliate marketing and direct sponsorships. Each is a great way to earn extra money as a food vlogger.

Related: Top Ways To Get Paid To Travel

5) Start A Food Podcast

Many celebrities are getting into podcasting these days, and that’s not by accident. Podcasts offer one of the best ways to get paid to eat online.

You don’t have to be famous to start a food podcast and transform it into a lucrative business. However, you must be comfortable with the idea of discussing food through a microphone!

What should your food podcast be about? That depends on you – you can create episodes that cover why people often indulge in comfort food or how to keep your energy levels up through nutrition (examples).

I recommend waiting to monetize your podcast until you attract a large enough audience. Once that happens, you can make money podcasting by selling a product, doing affiliate marketing, or accepting sponsorships.

Launching a podcast has limitless income potential and low start-up costs – a laptop, microphone, and basic software are all you need to get started.

6) Get Cashback For Food Purchases And Eating Out

Many ways exist to earn cash back when dining out or buying groceries. Here is everything you need to know about that:

Firstly, you can download a get-paid-to-eat app. Such a mobile app will allow you to upload a pic of your receipt every single time you purchase groceries online and receive some of your money back.

Secondly, you can use cash-back cards when dining out – these cards will return at least 1% of your total expense to you.

See the best cashback apps and reward programs to earn money while eating out or spending cash at grocery stores online:

Drop: Drop offers huge rewards to its users (up to 40% cashback from many of your favourite restaurants).
Swagbucks: Swagbucks is one of the highest-paying survey sites. However, the Swagbucks Local Program earns money by simply tagging your card (read my in-depth Swagbucks Review for more info).
Dosh: Dosh is a popular cashback site that you should use if you frequently visit the best restaurants nearby.
Rakuten: Rakuten offers even bigger bonuses and amazing rewards than most cashback apps (expect to earn up to 30% cash back on your purchases).
Seated: The Seated App brings you reward points each time you dine at a new restaurant. Unfortunately, the app is only available in the United States.

You can also download Liven today as an alternative option. Any food lover can receive instant payments to their bank account if they have a Liven wallet. Don’t hesitate to earn extra cash by eating at specific locations (Gelato Messina, NeNe Chicken, China Bar, and many others that accept Livenpay).

7) Get Paid To Eat Food On Camera

use Mukbang to get paid to eat on camera

Are you familiar with Mukbang? That trend started in South Korea – the term combines two words (eating & broadcasting).

Mukbang is a live-streaming process where a person eats large amounts of food on camera and interacts with an online audience. But how do you get paid to eat on camera that way?

Demonstrating your ability to eat large meals live can earn you cash in many ways. For instance, you can charge people to view your content, display ads, or accept sponsorships.

Eating that much at once is not the healthiest thing to do – you might want to keep that in mind before making Mukbang your primary source of income. Still, if you wish to broadcast your meals, feel free to do it on live-streaming platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, or Twitch.

8) A Food Influencer

Joining the food industry as a social media influencer is probably the ultimate dream of many. After all, famous food influencers get to attend various food product launches, restaurant openings, and other luxury parties.

Becoming a food influencer can be a lucrative work-at-home job – many popular influencers make tens of thousands of dollars for uploading a sponsored post.

On the downside, earning extra income as an influencer is not an easy way to earn fast money, considering it takes time to build a social media presence and attract millions of followers.

Do you have an impressive online presence on social media platforms? Then, don’t hesitate to profit from brand sponsorship deals and other profitable collaborations.

Work hard on your Facebook Page, learn how to dominate the Instagram feed, and include TikTok – make short videos to post on the platform.

See Also: High-Paying Online Jobs

9) A Food Critic

Can you think of a better way to get paid to eat than working as a food critic? After all, food critics earn money for reviewing restaurants and indulging in free meals for a living.

But what does a food critic do? As you can probably guess, a food critic must visit a restaurant, order specialties, consume them, and offer honest feedback.

Typically, a food critic needs to share an opinion about the quality of food, the professionalism of service staff, and the establishment’s atmosphere. Restaurant owners go above and beyond to make a good impression on that person:

Negative critical reviews can get a restaurant out of business. That’s why people who get paid to review restaurants always get the VIP treatment.

What skills do you need to provide in-depth, professional restaurant reviews? You can’t discuss food quality without understanding it. Any food critic must have knowledge and expertise in culinary arts.

10) Become A Freelance Writer

Are you wondering what freelance writing and making money eating have in common? I’ll tell you:

Combining your writing and eating skills will allow you to earn money while doing what you love. How do you go about that?

Nowadays, becoming a freelance writer is one of the top creative ways to earn money online. More importantly, you don’t need a Bachelor’s Degree to get paid to write and publish product reviews.

So, why not start a freelance writing career by reviewing personal care products, providing nutrition tips, or discussing the pleasure of rewarding your taste buds? You’ll reach your target audience and build a customer base faster than you think.

I recommend creating a professional portfolio that you can show to potential clients. A food freelance writer can be a part-time job you do at night if you don’t want to quit your current full-time employment.

Related Read:

11) Write A Food Book/eBook

Shall we take the concept of freelance writing and push it further? Let’s do this:

Experienced writers can create a passive income source by publishing an eBook about food. That eBook can reflect your experience from many different angles:

For instance, your eBook might offer a fresh perspective on food science or the importance of eating for health. Of course, that’s only one example:

Do some research before you begin the writing process. Check what else is on the market and find a less competitive niche.

Once you write your food eBook, you can sell it multiple times to thousands of readers. Offer your book for sale on platforms like Amazon KDP or Shopify (the latter option is for people who want to own an online store).

12) Participate In Food Studies

Chances are, you already know that participating in some research studies pays more than well. For instance, Respondent offers over $100 an hour (learn more about the opportunity from my Respondent review).

What’s the situation with food studies? Do they pay enough to make it worth your while?

Nowadays, many universities conduct food-based studies. Keep your eyes open if you’re a college student who wants to earn by devouring delicious food.

Related Read:

13) Get Paid To Take Food Photography

Let’s see how many aspiring photographers want to know how to get paid to eat:

First and foremost, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to sell your food images online. As long as your photos are of high quality, selling them on the web will not be an issue:

Many ways exist to earn by selling photos online. And the best part is that most websites that buy stock photography images offer instant payments.

You’ll make money each time someone licenses or downloads your image. Besides, most freelance stock photographers receive royalty rewards, too.

Feel free to list your food images for sale on platforms like Alamy, Getty Images, and Shutterstock.

See Also: 30 High-Paying Photography Jobs

14) Become A Recipe Tester

Recipe testing deserves a spot on all lists of odd jobs that pay a lot. Nowadays, a recipe tester earns up to $500 per gig!

So, what does a recipe tester do? Most recipe testers must acquire the necessary ingredients, measure them, and cook while following specific instructions.

Next, they provide notes and make suggestions about how a recipe can be improved. Who hires recipe testers?

That can be any restaurant or establishment planning on releasing a new dish. Someone has to test the recipe to ensure that anyone following it can cook an outstanding meal.

15) Competitive Eater

Next on the list of legit ways to get paid to eat is competitive eating. All food lovers worldwide will go crazy about this money-making idea:

Are you aware that winning a competitive eating event or similar food challenges can bring you amazing rewards? I’m talking about the opportunity to earn up to $10,000!

While eating competitively is an excellent way to make money when you need it urgently, doing it professionally is not for everyone. Think about it:

Pro-competitive eaters often train for months before going to an event. They learn different techniques to help them increase their stomach capacities to digest large amounts of food at once.

16) Get Paid To Eat Healthy

By all means, the best-case scenario you could wish for is to make money eating while staying as healthy as possible in your everyday life. But is that even an option?

Yes, it is – people use applications like the Liven App to keep a healthy lifestyle by improving their eating habits.

As mentioned previously, Liven can help you take care of your overall well-being. More importantly, the app allows each new user to earn when they order takeout or get a quick pickup meal at the best spots.

See Also: Best Apps To Make Money Fast

17) Work With Frozen Food Companies

Not everyone fancies the companies selling frozen foods – most people don’t see their products as the best foods they can buy.

Be that as it may, millions rely on frozen food to save them when they don’t have the time to cook another meal. So, how can you earn while working in the industry?

Many frozen food brands hire testers or consultants to help them improve the quality of their products. On average, frozen food testers make around $90,000 annually.

18) Become A Research Chef

Do you have any idea where new meals and recipes come from? Let me satisfy the curiosity of those who don’t know:

Research chefs are the ones who invent brand-new and unique recipes. Their job is to use their imagination to combine ingredients and flavors to create something no one else has thought of yet.

You can work as a research chef in your free time. The money you’ll make depends on different factors – being a research chef for a living can bring you up to $10,000 monthly.

Legit Ways To Get Paid To Eat: My Closing

As you can see, you can make money eating in so many different ways! Earning cash while eating is a legitimate income opportunity:

While most ways to make money by devouring meals (or bonus food) won’t allow you to quit your full-time job, they are still worthy of your consideration.

What questions do you have about this topic? Is there something you need me to clarify further?

Assuming there is, the comments section is here for you!

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