Whoever said, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch!”, are WRONG!

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Do you enjoy dining out but don’t enjoy the price tag that comes with it?

Becoming a Mystery Diner may be the perfect solution.

Mystery Diners are volunteers who give up their time to visit a range of restaurants, hotels and pubs and complete a report about their experience. In exchange you are reimbursed for your invaluable feedback.

Becoming a Mystery Diner is a great way to enjoy eating out at different restaurants, whilst saving money.

Being a Mystery Diner means you are able to say what you really feel about the service and the food in a productive and professional way to get your voice heard. You know that your feedback is appreciated and valued and often visiting somewhere a second time means you can see your feedback put into action with improvements made specifically as a result of your report.

You are able to socialise for free, as well as treat family and friends. Many Mystery Diners have said it encourages them to eat out regularly with their partners, friends and family who often enjoy the “secret assignment” nature of the meal. This is also a great way to give your children their first insights into dining out and trying different foods.

It also allows you to discover some real gems of places to eat that you never knew existed!

Mystery Dining is the ideal role for anyone who enjoys good food and appreciates good customer service and of course their bill paid for at the end.

The Mystery Dining Company is now recruiting over 1,000 Mystery Diners this summer, across the UK, for a variety of clients they work with such as Prezzo, Fire and Stone, Flaming Grill, as well as family favourites such as Giraffe and Wacky Warehouse.

So treat your family this summer and eat out for free at some great restaurants.

To sign up, click this link! And follow @mysterydining on Twitter for lots of updates!

Enjoy!

MM.

Coming clean about your pregnancy at work.

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I felt it was the right time to speak to my boss about my pregnancy. Although I am still within the first trimester I feel I owe it to him and the company to come clean. After the Christmas party and the festive drinks and meals of the week before, I was told by a close friend and colleague that people think I might be pregnant… I hadn’t even told her the news yet either! SO I had to REALLY play it down. I had planned to tell EVERYONE ELSE after the 12 weeks. Just to be safe. But now that people were ‘gossiping’ about my impending situation, I felt I had a responsibility to tell my manager before anyone else catches up with him.

So on the morning after the office Christmas party (Friday 23rd) it just so happened that we were the first to turn up at the office… I had a feeling that most people would be arriving somewhat late to work. So I took this as a prime opportunity to take him aside for a chat.

It also, just so happens, that he had an inkling. So when I asked for a chat he had an instant smile on his face. He knew. He so knew.

So I basically said that DP and I were ‘expecting’. To which he grabbed me and shouted congratulations and I KNEW IT! So yes, he did know. I was somewhat taken aback by his excitement. I knew he’d be happy for us as I’ve worked at the company for many years now and I do know my boss outside of work because of this. So I was pleased it wasn’t a shock for him. Ultimately however, as a department, this is the first baby to arrive. SO! It’s going to be a learning curve for everyone that I work around, including my boss. He suggested that I wait for my chat with HR until after Christmas when everyone is back in the swing of things and it can be dealt with properly.

So yesterday I had my chat with HR and they sent a ‘Risk Assessment’ form to my boss for completion. They have also sent me a Guide to Maternity on behalf of the company which outlines the rules and regulations at company-level but also my entitlements and legal standing from the government too.

So that’s that – I’m officially pregnant at work! But shhh, nobody else knows!

Are there any tips or tricks that you found whilst being pregnant at work that might be beneficial?

MM.