Hospitality Group Australian Venue Co Wants to Pay You to Eat and Drink at Its Bars and Pubs

Getting paid to do what you love is the ultimate employment dream. Finding a job doing something that everyone loves? That's a next-level kind of gig. When Gelatissimo turned taste-testing new gelato flavours into an actual position, it fell into that category. When Domino's wanted someone to eat garlic bread for cold hard cash, it did too. Now, hospitality group Australian Venue Co has a similar kind of job on offer.

Fancy adding 'secret sipper' to your resume? That's the gig that AVC is currently advertising, with 36 positions available across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. You'll get assigned to cover some of the company's 160-plus bars and pubs around the country, and you'll get paid for dining, drinking and then submitting a review once a month.

If you've ever worked in retail and heard about mystery shoppers, then you know the drill. That's how these roles work, but in hospitality. So, you'll be posing as a customer and interacting with the venue's staff to scope out their service — and they'll be unaware that you're on AVC's payroll, like they are.

Secret sippers will receive a $30 meal allowance for their monthly visit, plus $200 for each review, which'll cover a survey and a detailed written report.

You don't need to have any experience in the field. Obviously, we're all veterans at eating and drinking, but you don't need to have done this type of job before. There are some pre-requisites, though, such as having your own transport, an ABN and access to a mobile device; being passionate about the industry; attentiveness and impartiality; and being able to do 12 visits each year.

And if you're wondering which venues you might be visiting, it could be any in AVC's stable — which includes Cargo, Kingsleys and The Winery in Sydney; Fargo and Co, State of Grace and The Smith in Melbourne; Darling & Co, Riverland and The Regatta in Brisbane; The Hope Inn and Brighton Metro Hotel in Adelaide; and Sweetwater Rooftop Bar, The Globe and Wolf Lane in Perth.

Find out more about AVC's secret sipper roles — and apply — by heading online.