Have you ever done a search online to find the menu of a restaurant to see what they provided? Or, you just wanted to see how much they charged? There’s plenty of these sites out there as any web search can reveal. Here’s something you may not have known: Did you know you can make money simply by going in and collecting take out menus? So begins another odd way of making money!
That’s right, you read that right, make money collecting menus! If you’re like most, you’re thinking, who would pay to have menus collected? Why would they pay anyone to collect menus to begin with? The answer is, you’d be surprised. These kinds of jobs are not easy to find because once someone starts, they aren’t going to simply give it up! In 2007, my friend and I were hired by a company called Campus Foods to collect menus for them. The job was simple, we found a restaurant, we went in and asked for one, went home, entered in a few basic details about the restaurants, then shipped our collection from the day to their office in New York. Sounds simple, but your next thought would be, just how much did they pay to collect menus? Certainly not very much for such an easy task. Wrong again! For each menu that we collected, we were paid $2. If the location had multiple locations, we were paid for EACH LOCATION as it was a separate menu entry. If a restaurant had 5 locations in a single town, that’s $10.
We were part of a small team that helped build the initial database for a menu site called allmenus.com The purpose of this site was to help those on colleges find menus, and also for individuals that traveled find a nice restaurant without having to go to one of the typical chain restaurants that are all over the country. My friend and I assisted in collecting in Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota. We didn’t exactly cover the entire state, and our methods were rather old fashioned. The job lasted a few months, and we enjoyed every minute of it. In the end, we both left the company for some reason that I cannot remember, but I have since come up with a way that would have made the task much easier in finding locations. Unfortunately, they no longer have menu collectors, so there are no employment opportunities any longer.
By searching the internet regularly, you may come across one of these opportunities. You may also come up with an idea of your own. For example, by targeting local motels, you can collect menus and create a “package” for them to place in their rooms of menus in a local area. Motels are often rented by travelers who may want something different than the average highway chain restaurant food. By offering this service to local motels, it enables them to provide their guests with an experience that stands out in the guest’s mind.
Finding work in the 21st century can be tough. Sometimes you have to create your own opportunities. I’ve written articles on some of the unique jobs that I’ve done, in hopes that you may be successful in your goal to secure work. If I’ve helped you in any way, be sure to leave a comment letting me know how you’ve been able to accomplish your goal!
Till next time, peace out and good luck!