EatWith Review: Legit or a Scam? (Pros & Cons Revealed)

If you love to cook and entertain people, there’s a site called EatWith that you might be interested in. It claims that you can earn money by sharing your passion for food.

It’s a unique and very interesting claim, but the question is, is it legit or just another scam?

In this EatWith review, I will address that concern and more. I will reveal the pros and cons of what it offers so you will know exactly what to expect from it before you even hit the sign-up button. Then, you can make an educated decision on whether it is the right fit for you.

So, let’s go ahead and see what EatWith is all about, shall we?

What is EatWith, and what does it offer?

EatWith is a unique website that specializes in helping people enjoy culinary experiences. And yes, it is a legit site since you can really earn from it if you sign up as a host. However, that doesn’t mean you should sign up for it right away.

To find out if what it offers is the right fit for you, you must first understand how it works. And the only way to do that is to take a look at the earning opportunity it offers so you will have a clear idea of how much time and effort you must invest to earn.

So, here’s how to earn from EatWith.

The earning opportunity – Hosting

To earn from EatWith, you must host culinary events like dinner at home, cooking classes, or food tours. Once you become an EatWith host, you can create an event on the hosting dashboard.

The first thing you must do is gather materials for the event listing you will create in the hosting dashboard. I suggest you host a demo event with your friends, showcasing what the event is all about. Then, it would help if you take pictures to give potential customers an idea of the event.

Showing smiling people enjoying the food, wine, cooking, etc, is important to get people interested in your event. Think of this as an ad for your event. It’s also a good idea to show off the space you will be hosting from, the food, the table, and, of course, you!

Then, you must prepare a description of your event, including the menu (or course you will be teaching if your event is a cooking class). After you’ve prepared all the materials, you must log in to the hosting dashboard and create a listing of your event.

During this step, you’ll be asked to indicate the price a person has to pay to join the event. Now, I recommend setting an affordable price when starting just to get the ball rolling, so to speak. It’s also a good way to get some good reviews. Then, you can just increase the price later when you feel like you can demand a higher price since many people have already given it a good review.

After you finish creating your listing, you’ll have to submit it for review. It can take up to 14 days for the EatWith review team to finish reviewing your listing (depending on the volume of applications), so you must be patient.

EatWith will let you know if there are any missing details before approving your EatWith host application. You will receive an email if it is approved, so make sure you check your inbox regularly. After it is approved, you must create a title, add more detail to your description, fill out your menu, set your payment preferences, and manage your availability through your host calendar.

When you’ve completed all the steps, your event listing will be live, and people can see it when they log in to EatWith.

Now, for you to actually earn, someone must book your event. Normally, your clients will be people from out of town (or country) looking for a genuine dining experience.

Most of the time, people look for local cuisines that they can enjoy, so you must also consider that when designing your menu. EatWith's whole selling point is that it helps people enjoy various dining experiences worldwide.

Of course, it’s not all about the food. Since you’ll be hosting guests, you also have to have people skills to get good feedback from your guests. After all, you are selling an experience and not just food.

When a guest/s books your event, you’ll get a notification from EatWith. So, all that’s left is to prepare for the event and show your guests a memorable experience. Once the event is done, you’ll get paid through EatWith. In the next section, I will discuss how you will get paid.

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How do you get paid?

Once the event is over, the guest will pay through EatWith. Then, you will receive the payment within two business days after your event has been completed. It will be sent directly to your bank account via Stripe.

You don’t have to earn a specific amount to receive your earnings, which makes it quite a straightforward payment system, in my opinion. One more thing you need to know is that EatWith charges a 30% booking fee, but they will add it on top of your price so that the guest will shoulder it.

So, expect to receive the full amount (minus the Stripe fees, of course). Overall, I would say its payment system is relatively straightforward and convenient. I like the fact that it offers payment via direct bank transfer.

If you are interested in more sites that use this kind of payment system, I recommend you also check out the top sites that pay via direct bank transfer.

How much money can you make?

Since you can set the price for your events, then the determining factor that will affect how much you can earn from EatWith will mostly depend on how many guests will book your event. Unfortunately, you don’t have control over that.

The best thing you can do is to always provide your guests with a memorable experience so that you’ll get good reviews. Then, when people see that what you are offering is great, there will be more chances of getting bookings.

Of course, to achieve success, you must serve great food and have excellent hosting skills. In my opinion, to succeed with EatWith, you actually have to like meeting strangers and serving them good food. So, if you are not comfortable with that idea, then this is not for you.

Can you use it on mobile?

EatWith has a mobile app you can download, but it is mainly for guests who want to book events. If you are a host, you’ll be given access to a separate hosting dashboard where you can manage all your listings and accept bookings.

It is mobile-friendly, so you can use your phone to access it conveniently. It can be quite convenient, especially if you are out and about and suddenly get a booking. You’ll get notified right away, and log in to the dashboard to see the details of the booking.

Who can join EatWith?

EatWith is available more or less worldwide (in more than 130 countries), so you should be able to apply as a host regardless of where you live. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should sign up. The best way to figure out if you should app as a host is to search for your city in EatWith.

If you see event listings, then it’s a good idea to sign up because it means your city is catered by EatWith. Another thing that can help you decide is if your city has a lot of tourists, then it could be a good idea to apply as a host because the guests who book events on EatWith are essentially tourists looking to try the local cuisine.

The application process is a bit long and, as I’ve explained earlier, involves a lot of preparation. When you apply as an EatWith host, you’ll be asked to set up your first event. So, you’ll need photos, a description of your event, and a menu/course/plan for the food tour prepared.

Once you have all the materials ready, simply follow the instructions on how to apply as a host. It can take up to 14 days for EatWith to finish reviewing your application, depending on the number of applications sent, so you must be patient. If your application is accepted, you’ll be given access to the host dashboard, where you can list all the events you want to offer.

Another thing you must remember is that if you are a restaurant owner, you can’t use EatWith to promote your business. However, you can create events that will be hosted at your home or any private space, just not in your restaurant.

Can you get support?

If you have questions about EatWith, you can check out the FAQ section by clicking the message icon at the bottom right of the website. It discusses most of the important details you need to know about EatWith.

Now, if you can’t find the answers you need or if you have technical concerns, you can contact support instead by logging in to the hosting dashboard and clicking Support. Overall, I would say the site does provide good support to its hosts since it offers an easy way for you to ask for help.

Final Verdict

EatWith is a legit site that will let you earn by hosting culinary events. It has a couple of good features, but it also has certain limitations you must consider.

To help you with your decision, I have summarized its pros and cons so you can get a clear overview of what it offers.

In my opinion, EatWith is not for everyone. If you have a passion for cooking and you like meeting new people, then this is a great opportunity for you. What I like about EatWith is that it offers a convenient payment method and there are no service fees involved.

It’s a great way to indulge your passion, in my opinion. But if you are looking for a surefire way to earn, then this is not for you because there’s no guarantee you will earn from it. I suggest you check out the best gig jobs instead for guaranteed ways to earn.

If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with EatWith, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.