Observati Review: Get Paid to Eat Out, or Just Pay to Eat Out?

This gig sounds like a dream mystery shopper opportunity. Getting paid by Obsevati to visit restaurants, eat for free, leave a review and on top of it get paid. Tough to say no to, but there’s more here than meets the eye. The biggest point of contention is something we want to bring up first, there is a membership fee to get started. There are also reports of users who are getting paid both in cash and groupons, believe it or not. These insights change how you should think about this one and we dive into all of the details below.

Quick Facts

What’s Inside

• Is Observati real and safe?
• How hard is it to sign up?
• Can I do this whenever I want?
• How much money can you really make?
• When and how do you get paid?
• What stuff do you need to start?
• Is the work easy or hard?
• The Pros and Cons of Observati
• Final Verdict: Is Observati worth your time?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Is Observati real and safe?

Observati is a real company and based in Lindon, Utah. Not a shady operation, but some of their messaging is confusing and not consistent. They have real clients and users do claim visiting restaurants through their platform and getting paid, but others share frustrations about compensation being not all in cash. So while no, it is absolutely not a scam in the traditional sense, you should hesitate a moment before you sign up.

How hard is it to sign up?

Signing up is a quick process, but here is the rub: it costs money. Observati charges a monthly membership fee of $9.99 (some plans run higher, up to $130+ for annual or double-payout tiers). They will claim it is “free” because your first approved review each month rebates the fee, but isn’t that just reimbursement after work is completed? Also remember that it only happens if your review gets approved, so there’s a chance you won’t get approved and end up paying to achieve nothing.

Playing devil’s advocate, on the surface this gig is really appealing. Perhaps they are qualifying users to the maximum extent by requiring them to put their money where their mouth is as there is no doubt that users who who are paying to participate in something are going to be more keen to participate and do a good job.

💡 Insider Tip:
Before you pay a single dollar, email hello@observati.com and ask what restaurants are currently active in your zip code. Many new members report paying the fee, log in then discover the nearest participating restaurant is 50 miles away.

Can I do this whenever I want?

Somewhat. There is a dashboard where you are able to review and apply to a restaurant assignments that you visit on your own schedule within a deadline window. That said, each assignment has a submission deadline and missing it means no pay for a meal you already ate and paid for. You better hope it tasted good in that case!

How much money can you really make?

The advertised earning potential is between $30 to $70 per review. We think you are also being reimbursed for the meal as well, but this may differ on each assignment. Here is why we are weary of this gig: if you dig a bit deeper, their own terms of service says approved reviews pay $5 to $45 in cash. The rest of the advertised compensation often comes as Restaurant.com gift cards.

Anytime a company isn’t direct and forward with their gig workers I worry. At the end of the day, you are the product they are selling to their clients (the restaurants) and if they are not fully transparent with you, it makes you wonder and question what else may not be being told.

When and how do you get paid?

It is stated that cash payouts happen on the 20th of the month following your submission. So if you submitted your restaurant assignment review in July, they claim you will be paid on August 20th. Furthering the confusion about compensation is that gift cards are processed separately, albeit earlier on the 5th of the following month. One positive is that there seems to be no minimum cashout requirement.

What stuff do you need to start?

This is a photo centric gig, which means a smartphone with a decent camera is very much needed. You’ll also note from our insider tip that some of the restaurants may not be near you (30-50 miles away) so in that case you will also want a car since that is a heck of a walk.

To get your gift car compensation, you need a Restaurant.com account. This is entirely separate from your Observati account and adds setup time before you can claim your first assignment.

Is the work easy or hard?

The actual visit is quite easy and kind of fun. You may even get mistaken for being a local food influencer because you eat, observe and take photos while you dine. Then, you write up a further review when you leave and are back at home.

Now where things can get difficult is getting your actual review approved. We can sum it up by saying that based on user reports we reviewed, Observati can be very strict with approvals, sometimes rejecting reviews for reasons that appear unclear to the contributor. We say this because criteria for rejections are not clearly published. Members with professional photography and writing backgrounds have had reviews declined with only generic explanations. No approval means no pay and you already spent money on the meal. Of course this can be a huge bummer.

The Pros and Cons of Observati

Final Verdict: Is Observati worth your time?

Not for most people. The concept is fun and some members do enjoy it. However, the red flags are real and need to be given some consideration. to succeed you need lots of participating restaurants in your city, but like we said, you won’t know that until you pay to join the program. Quite the hurdle.

The Bottom Line: If a company needs you to pay them before giving you work, ask hard questions. There are positive reviews so we don’t want to entirely dismiss this one, but just be careful.

Frequently Asked Questions