Free Meals for the family

Em11

I'm babysitting my little brothers for a few days this summer and am such a bad cook I'm worried about what I'm going to feed them.
So I turned to my friends for advice.
One of my friends said she saw a post on Facebook the other day talking about the Mystery Dining Company. Apparently you can eat out for free with them at some well-know restaurants?
Has anyone ever done this before? Want to make sure it's all legitimate before I get my hopes up!
Thanks!

Doc_N

Em11 wrote: »

I'm babysitting my little brothers for a few days this summer and am such a bad cook I'm worried about what I'm going to feed them.
So I turned to my friends for advice.
One of my friends said she saw a post on Facebook the other day talking about the Mystery Dining Company. Apparently you can eat out for free with them at some well-know restaurants?
Has anyone ever done this before? Want to make sure it's all legitimate before I get my hopes up!
Thanks!

Given that you posted this on 19 March, it's rather difficult to take anything you say seriously:

Mystery Dining Applications
Hi there,
I've had trouble before when applying to be a mystery diner and being unsuccessful. I think they used to be very strict on people they accepted due to their location or written skills.
However, I believe they are being a bit more lenient with applications now.
I've now been a mystery diner for years and have done almost 500 mystery visits so far.
The Mystery Dining Company even did an interview on me not that long ago which is now on their website.
All in all, I would definitely recommend them as its great fun and there's no limit to how often you can dine as a mystery diner!

Are you perhaps posting on behalf of Mystery Dining? Or is there some other explanation? I do know that they're struggling to keep their assessors because the sums paid out rarely cover the cost of a meal, and the reports can often take the best part of a morning to complete to their satisfaction. Certainly not worth the time that has to be spent!

mike_g_123

Hey, market force are good, they let you know when there are mystery shopper assignments available by email once you've signed up.

If you don't happen to take part in one suited to you, type into google, Yates sign up, you sign up, and they send you a voucher which gives you a free meal when you buy a drink, so for £1.40 you can get a meal and a drink.

barbarawright

Em11 wrote: »

I'm babysitting my little brothers for a few days this summer and am such a bad cook I'm worried about what I'm going to feed them.
So I turned to my friends for advice.
One of my friends said she saw a post on Facebook the other day talking about the Mystery Dining Company. Apparently you can eat out for free with them at some well-know restaurants?
Has anyone ever done this before? Want to make sure it's all legitimate before I get my hopes up!
Thanks!

From https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/60231145#Comment_60231145

Em11 wrote: »

My OH and I generally eat out once a week but to fairly cheap places, under a tenner for a main meal.
Roughly once a month we try to go somewhere new (and that probably mean more expensive) but many of my friends who earn more that I do rarely go out for meals with their OHs. And if they do its usually to a Harvester as they think its cheap. But its only a pound or so cheaper that some of my faves like Prezzo or ASK, and the food is so much better!
If it was me, I rather go out less frequently but to nicer restaurants!
Some of the meals I've had whilst eating out I could have cooked better myself.
I think how often you eat out depends on your income, your family, and your interests.

Pee

One of the rules of TMDC is you are not allowed to talk about them online.

I wonder why that is.

Doc_N

Pee wrote: »

One of the rules of TMDC is you are not allowed to talk about them online.

I wonder why that is.

Perhaps because:

1 What they pay very rarely goes anywhere near covering the cost of the meal.

2 The reports are actually very time consuming and have to be received by noon the following working day. To get the report done in the way they expect it to be done can take most of a morning.

3 By and large the restaurants they work with are chain restaurants like Prezzo. There are better ones, but those dines are difficult to get hold of.

Philosphate

Excellent thread