by Danielle Somers

Created on: April 08, 2009

Imagine this...

A man walks in to your restaurant and nobody is there to great. He walks towards the restroom, but after noticing a mess on the floor he turns around and walks back to the entry way. After 15 minutes, someone finally greets him and leads him to his table. The waiter then does use eye contact, and seems to be out right bothered by the man. When the meal finally is delivered, it is cold and looks unappetizing.

Does this seem far fetched to you? It is not. This is exactly why mystery shoppers exist. When a restaurant belongs to a corporation, there is bound to be corporate big shots that will visit somewhat frequently, but everyone knows them. Mystery shoppers are a vital resource to measure customer satisfaction.

That being said, imagine this....

The same man walks into another restaurant. The hostess immediately greets him with a warm heart felt smile and leads him to his table. he receives absolutely flawless service, and the best meal he has ever had.

Is this what you think is reality? In a perfect world it would be, and in some high class restaurants, or when its just a really good day, this can happen. The first scenario is more the norm, something us food service professionals never want to admit.

For those of you that are in the field of food service, don't sweat it! No matter how much you try to figure it out, you will never be able to spot the mystery shoppers...and honestly you shouldn't try. It is much more important to treat every guest as if they are a mystery shopper.Many people think that mystery shoppers will admit to it. They won't. They are given a specific assignment.

If there have been numerous complaints about rudeness, that is what they are assessing. To do this, they might complain about something to see how their complaint is handled. However, they may observe another customer complaint instead.

If the complaints have been quality related, you might notice them taking their food apart...and in some rare cases they may check the temperature of the food as well.

Does this mean that mystery shoppers only come around when there have been a series of complaints? In some cases, yes. It all depends on the company that you work for and the company that the mystery shopper is contracted with.

It is my opinion that a customer is always a guest. You should never treat a guest in your restaurant less than you would treat one in your own home. If you do this, then not only do you need not worry who the mystery shopper is, but you'll get a good report as well!

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