GET PAID TO EAT FOOD ONLINE

39 Get Paid To Eat Food Online Delicious Ideas That PAY WELL!

Get paid to eat food online? Now that’s the ultimate dream job. This may sound too good to be true but let me assure you it’s 100% possible. 

If you know me, you know I’m a huge foodie. Food is a major way to enjoy life and experience a taste of local culture for a digital nomad like me. 

You can make a ridiculous amount of money from just eating food!

Now I’ve got your attention, let’s dive into how and where to get paid to eat food online. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out! This is the ultimate guide.

Get Paid To Eat Food Online: 39 Delicious Ways To Make Money

Create Online Food Content


1. Start A Food Niche Blog

 2. Live Stream Food Content

 3. Become A Food Content Influencer

 4. Start A Youtube Channel On Food

 5. Start A Food Podcast

 6. Write & Sell A Food Book

 7. Make & Sell Merchandise

Capitalise On Your Skills

 8. Take & Sell Photos Of Food

 9. Work As A Food Critic

 10. Become A Food Writer

 11. Taste & Review Food
Participate In Food Programs

 12. Enter Competitive Eating Challenges

 13. Eat Healthily, Lose Weight & Get Paid

 14. Join Food Affiliate Programs

 15. Join Food-Focused Studies

 16.  Test Recipes At Home

 17. Play Food Games on Mistplay

 18. Taste Test For Food Manufacturers


Become A Restaurant Mystery Shopper

 19. Contract Testing
20. Coyle Hospitality
21. MysteryDining.net 

 22. Ipsos I-Say
23. MarketForce
24. Second To None

 25. Shoppers’ Critique 

 26. TrendSource

 27. RealityCheck

Earn Cashbacks From Food Shopping


28. Drop
29. Swagbucks
30. Dosh
31. Cashback

32. Ibotta

33. Open Table

34. Rakuten

35. GetUpside

36. Checkout51

37. Yelp
38. SeatedApp

39. Receipt Hog

Affiliate Link Disclosure

Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.

Create Online Food Content
1. Start A Food Niche Blog

Of course, you wouldn’t expect me not to mention blogs when I recommend creating online food content as a way to get paid to eat food online. 

Starting a food niche blog is one of the most effective ways to monetize your passion for food. 

This can make you a lot of money with sponsored food blog posts, display advertising, affiliate partnerships, and more. 

My niche blogs are the not-so-secret secret sauce to my current financial independence as a thriving digital nomad. 

I live my best life every day and spoil my loved ones (when they let me!) while enjoying the freedom of working only whenever I want, anywhere in the world.

This is me stopping for a cheeky coffee break on a cycling adventure, as my inbox fills up with emails notifying me of the thousands of dollars my blogs are making me.

If I can do it, so can you – plus you get paid to eat food! Don’t know where to start? Keysearch is my favorite SEO tool to kickstart your niche blog journey. 

Still trying to figure out what SEO is? Don’t worry, my 60- Day SEO Solutions Course explains everything with practical examples that will help you master it in no time. 

Related Posts On Building A Bankable Blog

 2. Start A YouTube Channel On Food

Get paid to eat food on camera for a living, can you imagine? When it comes to content on camera, you need YouTube. 

Countless YouTubers earn generous incomes by making food-related content on their channel to viewers across the world. 

Start your Youtube channel documenting your food reviews, food ASMR, recipe experiments, or even the viral Korean mukbang sensation

Once you have gained a certain reach and subscribers, start making money from YouTube with advertising, paid partnerships, brand ambassadorship, etc

 3. Live-Stream Food Content

Once you’re comfortable in front of the camera, why not try live-streaming on YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, or TikTok? 

These platforms help you connect to your audience in real-time, and generous fans may even pay to support you. 

Did you know some brands are reported to pay 3 times more for sponsored streams on TikTok than static posts? 

Twitch is also an especially lucrative live-streaming platform. 

While it’s mainly for gamers, the “Just Chatting” feature is popularly used to stream content unrelated to gaming – like food. 

Get paid to eat food on camera as fans donate money via Patreon or brands pay you through partnerships and affiliates. 

 4.  Become A Food Content Influencer

Personally, the best way to get paid to eat food online is to be a food content influencer. Document and share your love for food to connect with other foodies.

Try restaurant reviews, food tasting, trending food challenges, fun recipes, or even food history. 

With the right strategy, content consistency, and engaging postings, you’ll soon gain a following that will get you paid to eat food. Now that’s living the dream!

5. Start A Food Podcast

There are 465 million worldwide podcast listeners, with the numbers growing daily. I dare say a significant percentage of those millions loves food. 

Cut yourself a slice of the food podcast pie with your flair with the spoken word. 

Express your views on the latest food trends, experiment with recipes, or just talk about your infectious love for food. 

As listenership grows, your inbox will soon be flooded with e-mails offering brand sponsorships, advertising requests, or opportunities to get paid to eat food online. 

 6. Produce A Food E-Book

Writing and producing your own e-book may sound intimidating, but it holds great potential to earn you a passive income. 

It’s worth investing your time and effort into this digital product documenting your food journey. Content ideas:

  • Food recommendations
  • Foodie travel guides
  • Exotic food across the world
  • Restaurant reviews
  • Family heirloom recipes
  • Original recipes
  • Food trends

Publish and sell your e-book on digital marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, or start your own brand website on Shopify. 

Check out this easy 6-step guide to selling digital downloads on Etsy, and learn how to make $7,000+ selling printables on Etsy!

 7. Make & Sell Merchandise

Once you’ve put to practice the tricks above, I’m sure you will have a healthy reach into the food-content consumers market. 

Allow others the opportunity to support you directly by selling your original merchandise. 

Make practical things like unisex tees, lanyards, or little pin badges then price them reasonably to earn a comfortable amount. 

And that’s how you get paid to eat food online with the power of digital food content. 

Capitalise On Your Skills

 8. Take Photos Of Food

Capitalize on your love for food and talent for photography to get paid. 

In the content-obsessed world that we live in now, restaurants, cafes, and food manufacturers are constantly looking for their own product content. 

If you don’t have fancy equipment and thousand-dollar cameras, start small with just your smartphone. Make use of cool editing apps to take the photos to the next level. 

Then sell these photos back to the business owners, or online platforms that can pay you for photographs like Shutterstock, Getty Images, or Alamy. 

As you earn more, invest in professional equipment to make even more money!

 9. Become A Food Critic

If you have an adventurous and discerning palate, you can be a food critic.

Food critics visit eateries, order from its menu, eat the food, and share detailed thoughts about the food served. Some may even take photos or videos.

While the job sounds simple, to be successful you have to have solid culinary knowledge and a flair for describing flavors accurately. 

You can start with your own blog, or build trust by offering your service at irresistible rates to local publications, foodie sites, restaurant guides, or online magazines.

Once you’ve built a reputation as a fair, objective critic, you’ll soon get noticed by more established clients offering chances to get paid to eat out. 

Food critics can earn an average salary of USD$80,000 to USD$90,000 per year!

 10. Become A Food Writer

Getting paid to write about food can go beyond food criticism and reviews. You can shed light on a vast scope of unexplored food topics by being a food writer. 

You can write about cooking, local produce, food nutrition, gastronomy trends, and everything under the sun that’s food-related. 

There is always a demand for freelance and full-time writers in digital publications, food blogs, and online media. 

So time to gain the experience you need to get paid good money as a food writer!

Related Posts On Getting Paid As A Writer

 11. Taste & Review Food 

On the more casual side of food criticism, you can also get paid to review food. 

Most people sharing their go-to restaurants and hidden gem eateries on social media are already doing this to some extent. Grab this opportunity to get paid to eat out!

Visit restaurants, food trucks, cafes, and pop-ups to experience their cuisines. 

Order food delivery and share your opinion. Test frozen food from grocery stores and describe the flavors. Document these online and you’ll soon be paid taste testers.

This is the perfect side gig if you love trying out new flavors without spending money! 

Participate In Food Programs

 12. Enter Competitive Eating Challenges

Ever heard anyone asking you to slow down when eating? 

Or if you’ve had enough to fill you up yet after a massive meal? 

Guess what? Your ravenous appetite can be a bankable asset to make money. 

Join eating contests and challenges that offer prize money, then make sure you win! 

Prize money goes up to USD$10,000. That said, be sure to train wisely and take precautions to do it safely. This high-risk “sport” is not for the faint of heart. 

 13. Eat Healthily, Lose Weight & Get Paid

I know this sounds crazy. 

On the opposite side of competitive eating, is getting paid to eat healthily

Programs like DietBet and HealthyWage make you money by bringing together those with a shared goal – eat healthy and lose weight.

DietBet has paid out more than USD$62 million so far and counting!

Essentially, you set a weight loss goal and then pay a small fee that contributes to a prize pot. The money pool gets split among those who achieve their goals, while those who don’t won’t get their money back. It’s simple!

 14. Join Food Affiliate Programs

Now more than ever, growing businesses are partnering with micro-influencers or community opinion leaders to market and sell their products in an organic way. 

More often than not, food businesses and brands offer affiliate programs where you earn a commission for every sale you make. 

Check the sites of your favorite ones or email to ask, if you have a platform for sharing the good word about their food. 

Online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy also offer affiliate programs, and you can pick out the food-related products you want to get paid to eat food online. 

Here are the 39 best affiliate programs for beginners without a website in 2023!

 15. Join Food-Focused Studies

If you don’t have food allergies or any particular food you dislike, make money from joining food-focused studies and research for science. 

Apex Life Science in Pleasantville, New York is a reputable company to look out for this part-time gig and get paid to eat food! 

Another option is Matrix Sciences, a product research company with multiple taste-testing locations in North America. 

As a tester, you’ll evaluate taste, texture, color, smell, appearance, and more to play a role in food and beverage product improvements as well as developments. 

Think cookies, french fries, microwavable dinners, drinks, and other consumables.

 16.  Test Recipes At Home

This is one for the home cooks who want to get paid to test food! 

Not only do you indirectly get paid to eat food online, but you also get to have fun in the kitchen and even enjoy firsthand dibs on newly developed recipes. 

Testing recipes at home can be a well-paid side hustle that you don’t want to miss. 

Plus, it’s beginner-friendly as many recipes are catered to first-time experiences making a particular dish. So there’s no way to go wrong with this. 

 17. Play Food Games

Wonder if there are food games that make you money? Yes!

Mistplay is an online game app named one of Canada’s Companies-to-Watch in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50™ Awards. 

Its loyalty program partners with new food game creators to let you play and make money as you test them out.

Join Mistplay’s 2 million active users earning units that can be redeemed for money or online shopping gift cards redeemable on Amazon, Starbucks, and such.

 18. Taste Test For Food Manufacturers

When food manufacturers come up with new products, they usually gather groups of taste testers to get an idea of the general consumer’s reaction prior to its release. 

McCormick and Red Robin are examples of brands that offer opportunities to get paid to review food like spices, burgers, new menu items, and more.

All you need to do to be these paid taste testers is sample food products and share your feedback on taste, texture, ease of preparation, and overall eating experience. 

Become A Restaurant Mystery Shopper

Another brilliant way to get paid to eat out and review food is to become a restaurant mystery shopper.

You’ll make money from visiting eateries, eating their food, and reporting every detail of your experience without the service staff knowing. 

Here are the hotspots to score restaurant mystery shopper opportunities. 

 19. BestMark

Founded in 1986, BestMark is one of the largest mystery shopping companies. 

Report your experience as a secret shopper in restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and more to get paid in varying amounts depending on tasks.

 20. Coyle Hospitality 

Coyle Hospitality pays mystery shoppers in 70+ countries to eat in restaurants, hotels, resorts, bars, and even cruises in return for a detailed evaluation report. 

Apply for a dining assignment if you like to earn a fee plus paid food expenses. 

21. Mystery Dining 

Mystery Dining by HGEM is all about reviewing restaurants and gourmet services, with locations in cities within Europe, the Middle East, and America. 

Book a restaurant visit, read the brief, enjoy the meal, submit a report, then get paid!

 22. Ipsos iSay

Ipsos iSay is an online rewards community hosted by the 3rd largest survey-based research firm in the world. 

Join to participate in different research studies on a variety of different topics, and collect points to get paid in cash or digital vouchers.

 23. MarketForce

MarketForce also pays mystery shoppers to evaluate in detail the services and products of restaurants and other industries. 

You’re likely to get paid approximately USD$10-30 for each job, plus reimbursement for your spending as a shopper. 

 24. Second To None

Second To None lets you make extra income by secret shopping with restaurants, grocery stores, and fast casual dining places across the US and Canada. 

Starbucks and Krispy Kreme are some of their many clients. 

 25. Shoppers’ Critique 

Another platform to get paid to eat food online is Shopper’s Critique which covers North America. 

You can participate in paid review assignments at pizza joints, high-end restaurants, steakhouses, sports bars, casual eateries, and so much more. 

 26. TrendSource

Become a Field Agent at TheSource for TrendSource, and get paid to test food as a mystery shopper! 

Their food clients include Taco Bell, Panda Express, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, and more. Payments vary depending on task requirements.

 27. RealityCheck

RealityCheck has been offering mystery shopping opportunities for 20 years across North America with a network of partners in Asia, Europe, and South America. 

You can get paid about USD$15-$35 for each completed shopping assignment!

Earn Cashbacks From Food Shopping

Cashback is the king of rewards. Shop online or in-store for food, groceries, and even restaurant meals to get paid to eat food with gift cards and cash back. 

This may not be a get-rich-quick method but hey, it’s still money! 

Here are the best cashback platforms that millions have tried and tested.

28. Drop

Drop is a free reward app with over 5 million users earning rewards on spending. 

Easily collect points from your selected 5 favorite retailers or restaurants like McDonald’s every time you spend there with your debit or credit card. 

29. Swagbucks

With the tagline “Put cash back into your wallet”, Swagbucks gives you cash back on PayPal and gift cards to retailers like Amazon. 

Not limited to shopping for food online, you can also play games, watch videos, or answer surveys to earn that cash.

30. Dosh

Dosh is a US-based rewards platform that gets you automatic cash back when you shop (Costco!), dine (Shake Shack!), or book hotels. 

Get the cash transferred to your bank, PayPal, or Venmo when you’ve accumulated at least USD$15.

31. Fetch

Fetch is a cashback app that lets you scan grocery, shopping, and restaurant receipts to earn points. 

Then redeem them for Starbucks, Airbnb, Ulta, Target, Uber, and more gift cards. Now you may ask, is it safe? Business Insider reports it is

32. Ibotta

Ibotta offers cashback of up to 30% every time you shop online or in-store at its thousands of partner retailers like Walmart, Hotels.com, eBay, and BestBuy. 

All you need to do is activate, shop, and withdraw earnings through a linked bank account.

33. OpenTable

Book a restaurant on OpenTable to earn points to redeem meal discounts or Amazon gift cards. 

A cheeky tip to build up points real quick is to select the “1,000 Point Times” eatery when you’re picking a place to reserve for a yummy meal. 

34. Rakuten

Rakuten has earned its 15+ million users over USD$2 billion in cash back. 

Shop online or in-store for groceries, food boxes, coffee, candy, wine, and more. Get your money back via check or PayPal – that’s how you get paid to eat food online. 

35. GetUpside

GetUpside is an app that offers cash back on your everyday gas, grocery, and gastronomy spending. 

There’s no limit to how much you can earn, and cash out when you want via PayPal or a bank account. It’s given back USD$200 million so far!

36. Checkout51

Another US-based mobile app that rewards you with cashback on your gas and groceries is Checkout 51

Take a photo of your receipt when you shop your favorite weekly shopping list offers and cash out as soon as you hit USD$20.

37. Yelp

Did you know that Yelp isn’t just about leaving restaurant reviews? 

Link a credit card to your Yelp account to earn cashback in card points. Remember to use its handy filter to choose restaurants nearby that offer up to 15% cashback.

38. Seated

Get rewarded when you reserve or walk in restaurants listed in Seated, an app that lets you earn percentages of your meal’s bill at 2000+ local eateries. 

Collect points to redeem gift cards from Sephora, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and more.

39. Receipt Hog

With the tagline “Pad your piggy bank with extra cash”, Receipt Hog basically converts shopping receipts from any store into cash. Yes, even your Starbucks latte! 

You can even complete in-app surveys to earn more. Enjoy your earnings in cash payouts or gift cards. 

FAQS On Get Paid To Eat Food Online

Can You Get Paid To Eat?

Can you get paid to eat? Yes, there are so many ways to get paid to eat food.  You can make money being a food content creator, paid taste tester, or restaurant mystery shopper. 

You can also use cashback apps, play food games, join food studies, and compete in eating competitions for cash prizes.

Can I Get Paid To Eat Online?

Yes, you can get paid to eat online thanks to the popular Korean “mukbang” trend where people live-stream or film themselves eating a lot of food. 

Mukbang and food-related videos attract millions of viewers; opening the doors for you to get paid to eat on camera through ads, affiliates, and sponsorships.

How Much Can I Earn Eating Food Online?

Eating food online can earn you up to USD1.3 million a year, according to popular Mukbang live-streamers and video creators. 

This viral Korean video trend shows creators eating substantial meals on camera, with viewership going up to millions. The higher your reach, the more you get paid to eat on camera.

What App Pays Me To Eat At Restaurants?

Popular Apps That Pay You To Eat At Restaurants:

1. Drop

2. Swagbucks

3. Dosh

4. Fetch

5. Ibotta

6. OpenTable

7. Rakuten

8. Yelp

9. Seated

10. Receipt Hog

Ready To Get Paid To Eat Food Online?

Get your appetite ready and start making money today just by eating food online! 

Monetize your daily sustenance routine – all you need is a healthy hunger and this comprehensive list that will guide you through growing your income source.

While at it, why not get a foodie friend on board and do this together? 

You’ll both have plenty of fun and food getting paid to enjoy eating online. Share this article now with the first name that pops up in your mind when you read foodie friend.

Now let’s get this bread!

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