So how are your New Year’s Resolutions Going?

Quit eating a lot? Going out?

Well if you haven’t, don’t. Because we have something that will make you feel better about it.

Imagine walking into a restaurant, eating a gourmet meal, and walking out not only without paying the bill—but getting paid for it.

Sounds like a dream, right? But it’s REAL.

And we’re about to break down exactly how you can start monetizing your appetite.

Today:

🍔 Make Money by Eating

🍽️ Mystery Dining

🎥 Food-fluencing

🌭 Competitive Eating

📚 Food Blogging

🍟 Food Delivery Reviewing

📊 How Are Rewards Calculated?

🍔 Make Money by Eating

🍽️ Mystery Dining

What It Is: Mystery dining is when companies pay you to visit a restaurant, eat a meal, and provide feedback on the service, cleanliness, and overall experience. It’s essentially undercover quality control for the hospitality industry.

How It Works:

• You sign up with a mystery dining platform.

• They assign you specific restaurants to visit.

• You eat, evaluate, and submit a report based on their guidelines.

• You either get reimbursed for the meal or receive additional compensation.

Known Platforms:

• Market Force

• Mystery Dining

How Much You Can Earn:
While mystery dining won’t make you rich, you can expect free meals and anywhere from $10 to $100 per assignment, depending on the restaurant and the level of detail required in your review.

🎥 Food-fluencing

What It Is: Food influencers create content around food—whether it’s restaurant reviews, mukbangs (live-streamed eating shows), or cooking tutorials—and monetize through sponsorships, ads, and affiliate marketing.

How It Came About:
Mukbangs started in South Korea in the early 2010s and exploded globally. Watching someone eat an enormous amount of food became weirdly entertaining, and creators started raking in cash through ad revenue and fan donations. Fast forward to today, and food influencers dominate platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Known Earners in This Space:

• Zach Choi: Famous for his ASMR-style mukbangs, Zach has millions of followers and earns through ads and sponsorships.

  

• Nikocado Avocado: Love him or hate him, he’s turned extreme eating into a six-figure income.

• Best Ever Food Review Show: This travel food channel generates revenue through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.

How Much You Can Earn:

• Ad Revenue: $1,000–$10,000+ per month depending on views and engagement.

• Sponsorships: $500–$20,000+ per post depending on audience size.

• Affiliate Links: Commission varies based on product sales.

Where to Start:

• Create a food-focused account on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram.

• Use free tools like Canva to create engaging thumbnails.

• Join affiliate programs like Amazon Associates for food-related products.

🍔 Competitive Eating

What It Is: Competitive eating involves devouring large quantities of food within a set time limit to win cash prizes. It’s a real sport with real money.

Known Earners:

• Joey Chestnut: The reigning king of competitive eating, Joey has earned over $500,000 from competitions alone.

  

  71 hot dogs eating contest

• Miki Sudo: A top female competitor who has won multiple Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests.

How Much You Can Earn:

Top competitions offer cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per event. If you’re consistently winning, you can make six figures annually.

How to Get Started:

• Check out organizations like Major League Eating.

• Start small by entering local eating contests.

Cost to Start:
Aside from a strong stomach, you’ll need to cover travel expenses for competitions.

📚 Food Blogging

What It Is: Food blogging involves writing detailed posts about recipes, restaurant reviews, or niche food topics and monetizing through ads, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing.

How It Works:

1. Set up a blog using platforms like WordPress or Wix.

2. Post high-quality content consistently.

3. Monetize through ad networks like Google AdSense or Mediavine.

How Much You Can Earn:
$500–$20,000+ per month, depending on traffic and monetization strategies (ad placements, collaborations, newsletter participation, and so on).

Who Teaches This Online:

• Pinch of Yum’s Blogging Academy: A well-regarded course for aspiring food bloggers.

🍟 Food Delivery Reviewing

What It Is: Some platforms pay people to test out and review food delivery services, ensuring quality control for apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash.

How Much You Can Earn:
$10–$50 per review, plus reimbursement for the meal.

Known Platforms:

• Gigwalk

• WeGoLook

📊 How Are Rewards Calculated?

Rewards in the “get paid to eat” world vary based on:

• Platform and Task: Mystery dining pays per assignment, while food influencers earn based on views and engagement.

• Audience Size: The larger your audience, the higher your earning potential.

• Content Quality: High-quality, unique content attracts better-paying partnerships.

For the first time ever, the New Year’s resolution…

is to eat more food.