Author: Mr Hustle

Last Updated: 3 November 2024

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Our Experience

This Mystery Dining review is based on my experience of using the platform over a period of 6+ months. I've personally completed upwards of 30 meals from Mystery Dining. This review represents my own experience and opinion only.

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How It Works

You can sign up for a profile on Mystery Dining. The sign up process is straight forward, but requires you to write a brief review of a recent meal you have had. Once accepted, you'll be able to browse available dines.

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The mystery dines are generally first come first served. The dine will be for a specific restaurant location and may include specific criteria for the visit, such as visiting during a particular time period of days of the week. Each dine has a clear description of what is required. In general, the dines require you to visit a restaurant and complete a survey about your experience. You may have to ask a question, visit the toilets, pretend to have an allergy, or other simple tasks. We found that the post-dine surveys tend to take between 10 minutes and an hour depending on the complexity of the dine.

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As you'd expect, the expensive restaurants with multiple courses tend to require a more extensive amount of feedback then quick eats. When you sign up, you'll likely see lower end restaurants and cafes. As you complete more dines and prove the quality of your work, you'll unlock access to higher end dining establishments.

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"With Mystery Dining, I eat out at least once a week for free. I've visited a handful of fine dining restaurants, a lot of cheap and cheerful establishments, and a good number of mid-range offerings.".

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Pay

If you're only interested in making extra money, then Mystery Dining is not for you. Most jobs pay between £0 and £5 as a fee, with £0 being the most common from our experience.

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"If you're only interested in making extra money, then Mystery Dining is not for you."

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However, most jobs reimburse the full price of a meal for 1 to 2 people (and occasionally more people). Occasionally, a job won't reimburse enough for the amount you are required to order, so be sure to check the details before agreeing to a job.

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If you enjoy dining out, then Mystery Dining is an excellent option. Our in-house Hustle Tester averages one to two free meals per week on the platform.

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Job Availability

Mystery dines are listed on the website or mobile app, which are easy to filter and to search by location or date.

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As dines are usually first come first served, the best restaurants can be booked by other diners very quickly. For this reason, we recommend booking a restaurant you'd like as soon as you see it (assuming you can make the required date, and the reimbursement looks reasonable).

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The best restaurants are visible to mystery diners with the best "status" on their profile.

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Requirements

There are no specific requirements for using mystery dining, other than creating an account, being accepted, and the ability of follow instructions and detail your observations in clear English.

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Reliability and Experience

The Mystery Dining website is well-designed and easy to use. The instructions are usually very clear and the site is reliable. There is live chat available, which is very responsive from our experience.

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Your reimbursement date will be within 4 weeks of your visit, and will arrive in your account within 5 working days. In our experience, payments have been accurate and timely and we have not faced any reimbursement issues.

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What is your experience with Mystery Dining by HGEM? Do you agree or disagree with this review? Let us know in the comments below!