How To Become a Food Critic
Food critics have a distinguished career that allows them to earn money dining out and writing about their experiences. This is a highly competitive field that requires a great deal of dedication and hard work. Learning about the duties of a food critic and the steps to become one can help you determine if it’s the right career for you. In this article, we explore what food critics do and how you can become successful in this career.
What does a food critic do?
A food critic, also often called a food writer or a restaurant critic, is a professional writer who samples and reviews food. Food critics typically travel to different restaurants, order a variety of dishes and write about their experiences. Newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites may all hire food critics.
However, not all positions in this field pay well or pay at all. Novice food critics may begin by submitting unpaid reviews simply to get a byline and build their portfolio of published works. Other food critics get their start simply by posting about their food and dining experiences on social media.
Top food critics can travel the world trying new dishes. Some of these professionals have their own television shows. Successful food critics may also publish their work in books. This is a highly coveted career with a limited number of paid openings. Hard work and dedication are critical for those interested in this job.
Read more: How to Build Your Work Portfolio
The average salary for food critics
There is no detailed salary data available for food critics, as this is a very niche career. However, there is information for journalists, reporters, staff writers and content writers, all of which have similar duties to food critics. Many food critics spend only a portion of their time writing about food and work as full-time journalists or reporters covering other topics when they’re not writing restaurant reviews.
Here are the salary ranges for each job:
- Journalist: $36 per hour
- Reporter: $41,869 per year
- Staff writers: $38,716 per year
- Content writers: $17.54 per hour
- Total salaries range from $7.25 to $74.45 per hour
