This summer, the Herald team has shown a knack for keeping secrets by collaborating with the inner circle of an artist whose work hinges on a maintained sense of anonymity.  

En route to meet the Mystery Diners at a quiet café on Douglas Street this week, it was hard to avoid drawing parallels between the Glasgow-based food reviewers and the ever-elusive Banksy.  

iPhone photography rather than spray paint is the medium of choice for Olivia Hamilton, 35, and Chris Buchanan, 37, the duo behind an Instagram account that has amassed more than 25,000 followers and led to the development of an innovative new app with Glasgow University students.  

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“Chris and I are best friends,” Ms Hamilton explained as I joined them at their table, “and while working in the luxury beauty industry we would go out for meals together at least a couple of times a week.”  

“We were so passionate about it that we began to start thinking seriously about making an account to share our reviews.”  

Mr Buchanan continued: “Because of our retail background, we had experience with mystery shoppers who would come in to grade staff on different aspects of service.  

“We realised that no bloggers were applying that process to hospitality.  

“It was a way of scoring restaurants on a broad spectrum from value to money to ambience, rather than just food.”  

And so, a shared Mystery Diners persona was born.  

Determined to succeed, the budding bloggers got creative by printing out posters advertising their account to be plastered over tenement closes and empty walls across the city.   

Next came the signature calling cards, discreetly placed on a table after each meal, which alerted staff to the fact that they could soon expect a feature online.  

It wasn't long before word of their antics spread and the diners found themselves building a captive audience for their honest and thorough reviews.  

Mr Buchanan said: “After about four or five months we had jumped to 2000 followers and got our first proper invite to a restaurant.  

“That felt like a real turning point for us."  

“Apparently, one of the chefs there had seen our cards and wanted one to put on his pass," Ms Hamilton added. 

“That kind of recognition showed us that we must have been doing something right.”  

Just as quickly as the momentum had started to build, the Mystery Diners were soon forced to discover new ways to keep their following engaged as the country was plunged into recurring covid lockdowns.

A series of cooking challenges and takeaways reviews did the trick, and when restrictions were lifted there was no time wasted in returning to their incognito restaurant visits, much to the delight of those who had discovered the Mystery Diners account while stuck at home.

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The next step was to develop My Dine, a venture born from an understanding of luxury retail which would see them partner with a select list of restaurants across the city, including chef Jimmy Lee’s Salt and Chili or Green Gates Café, to deliver a range of vouchers for bespoke dining experiences.  

Mr Buchanan said: “It’s taken us a while to get to this stage, but our long-term goal has always been to form a business.  

“My Dine is not about sticking a big 50% discount on a restaurant.

“That would be a disservice to them and the amazing work that they do.  

“We want to change what it means to be a voucher customer and you’ll only see restaurants that we’ve approved ourselves on the site.”  

Although the My Dine website has now been live for almost a year, this week will bring another milestone for the Mystery Diners as their iPhone-friendly app is launched with a celebratory event at Yiamas Greek restaurant in the city centre.  

The android alternative is, however, already up and running thanks to the help of third-year Glasgow University students who were challenged to compete in teams as they battled it out to create a winning version of the app.  

Mr Buchanan said: “Our contacts at Business Gateway and Scottish Enterprise got us involved with Glasgow Uni.

“It was a huge honour to be a part of a programme alongside big names like BrewDog or Barclays.

“The whole process felt very organic.  

“My Dine is only possible because of the amazing businesses and talent which come from Glasgow.”  

As the conversation draws to a close, questions are inevitably raised as to whether the Mystery Diners can expect to maintain their undercover status as what started as a part-time hobby morphs into a promising career path.  

While suspecting some restaurant staff may have ‘an inkling’ as to their true identities in recent months, the pair are adamant that they will continue to deliver the no-nonsense reviews their followers have grown to love, no matter where My Dine takes them.  

Ms Hamilton said: “A big goal for us would be able to go full time and have an office in the city that could create jobs for a team of people who share the same passion and work ethic that we do.  

“We’d also like to expand to other cities and start offering hotel experiences.  

“It’s been a hard graft, but we’ve put our heart and soul into this and we’re in it for the long run.”  

For more information on My Dine visit the website here or find the Mystery Diners on Instagram here.