» Restaurant Mystery Shopping

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/secretsh/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

All jobs are not equal when it comes to the tricky business of finding the best assignment as an anonymous shopper. For those who came in late, many quality consultants and companies are using a disguised shopper to observe their premises, staff and other areas to allow them to close gaps in customer service. This has led to the growth of a huge industry with associations, forums, events and even chat shows. But because they appear to be so much fun to do, they are not very good paymasters. You are getting to shop – what more do you want seems to be what the employers think. This makes the shop part or the perks in these assignments the biggest criterion of selection.

Restaurant mystery shopping is amongst the most sought after assignments for obvious reasons. You get to try out great new cuisines for free. If the company allows you to take along a person, you can even impress your girlfriend. Apart from restaurant mystery shopping , some of the other great assignments include experiencing a spa service.  Imagine people who go to work as a covert agent in a spa. I cannot think of a better way to earn my living. It appears to be the single most relaxing job ever made. Even better than a spa are assignments that give you a reimbursable amount to spend or a voucher for their retail outlet. The only thing better than coming home with a leg massage is having something to wear on the leg

But for a job hunter it is important to know what employers look for when they are hiring. Taking the case of restaurant mystery shopping , the ability to understand and rate food is critical. Not everybody can become an anonymous shopper for an eating place. It is necessary to be able to appreciate the various flavors and have considerable experience in the food industry to give an opinion of value. Again different employers look for different demographic profiles when hiring their agents.  A pizza parlor may prefer a young teenage agent who will be best positioned to comment while a hotel coffee shop may be looking at a seasoned traveler.

To find a job specifically in the restaurant mystery shopping domain, it would be a good idea to visit trade specific websites which host discussion forums and job boards. You will find job listings as well as comments on the company hosting them. You will get answers to important questions like – How much will it pay, how much I can spend, Can I take along somebody. You can find out if there are any certifications that you can get to make you better qualified for the job. If you are new to the industry, there are various tools that you can download for simplifying your work. Sites also give you event dates, tips on best practices, fraud companies and other useful information.

But it is important to remember that at the end of the day restaurant mystery shopping is a serious job. It may be better than many other jobs but is still a job. It is possible to enjoy the meal as a covert eater but not necessarily what your partner is saying. The focus will need to be on things like cleanliness, speed of service, manners of the staff and of course the food quality and presentation. People who are looking to make a quick buck or just interested in the eating part usually are not a good options as mystery shoppers.

If you like this entry, take a look at our
Mystery Shopping Jobs category :
http://www.secretshoppingblog.com/category/mystery-shopping-jobs/

Tweet This Post 

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/secretsh/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

Many people think that restaurant secret shopping is about getting a free meal in exchange for some feedback.  But it is much more than that. From the perspective of the restaurant, it can be a rare chance to get impartial consumer feedback. Unlike other businesses, restaurants rely very heavily on a customers review. Hiring a hidden shopper can check out how good the restaurants service is as well as how their food measures up.

Fine Dining Facts

The truth is that when most people go out to eat, they are looking for more than just a good meal. They also want a congenial atmosphere and good service. It is not uncommon to hear about eateries that do poor business despite serving good food. The reason for this is simple- poor customer service. Hiring a company for restaurant secret shopping can give you a complete view of what it is really like to eat in your restaurant. The process is simple – first you will have to sit down with a representative from the hidden shopping company. Together you will draw up a strategy on what exactly you want to accomplish with your shopping assignment.

If you are new to the world of anonymous shopping for restaurants and are not quite sure what you want from your assignment, take a look at your business operations. Ask yourself some honest questions- what are the areas that are not doing very well Is your workforce operating at optimum levels Does your restaurant only do well with certain customer profiles. If so, by understanding the problem areas in your business, it will be much easier to design a strategy that can tap the feedback accordingly.

More Than Just Food

When you hire an agency for restaurant shopping, the assignment will be carried out by an evaluator or a shopper. They will make a note of the time they enter the establishment and make an assessment of the outer area first. Notes are usually taken regarding cleanliness and signage visibility. If there is a board that announces daily specials, assessments are made on whether it is clear and easily seen. If customers need to wait to be seated, the evaluator will make a note of how long they had to wait. They may interact with other customers at this time to ask about their experience with the restaurant.

Once they are seated, the evaluator from the agency offering restaurant shopping will make notes on the appearance of the tables as well as the waiter who seats them. All aspects of the service as well as the personal appearance of the employees are noted. When the food arrives, taste is not the only factor that is taken into consideration. Assessments are also made on how long it took them to serve the food, its appearance and the size of the portions. Notes are also taken on little things like the condiments provided the frequency with which water was refilled etc. Sometimes special scenarios can also be incorporated into the assignment- this could include complaints about the food, to see how the employees react and solve the problem.

Naturally, when you hire a company for restaurant shopping, its best to go with one that hires professional evaluators. An experienced shopper will be able to quickly spot things an amateur shopper will miss. By collecting this kind of feedback on a regular basis, you will get a clear idea of what your restaurants strengths and weaknesses are.

Tweet This Post 

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/secretsh/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

Restaurant mystery shopping is performed on the request from the owner, to ensure the most pleasant experience for his customers. The success of any restaurant depends largely on the food quality and service quality. Any degradation from the high standard of quality will result a decline in the number of customers, their faithfulness and finally, the annual turnover. So, it is very important to maintain the standard, to remain in the market. Periodical checking is required, to perform this evaluation procedure. Shopping is a great tool for conducting this checking process.

To perform the restaurant mystery shopping  , shoppers normally search for some specific information. This information is more or less same from restaurant to restaurant. In addition to these questions there might be some other questions, which are specific to the particular restaurant. Following are the list of questions answered by shoppers.

• Was the restaurant conveniently located?
• How big was the parking lot?
• Was the host or hostess cordially welcomed you?
• How neat and clean was the food serving and storage space  ?
• What was the condition of the restroom?
• Could you meet with the manager?
• How long did they take to serve the food?
• How was the interior atmosphere of the restaurant?
• Was the food warm and of good quality? Etc.

 

The answers to all these above questions will be collected for restaurant mystery shopping by the shoppers, and this will give the real picture of the restaurant. As the shopper will act like a normal customer, restaurant staff will deal with him in the same way, as they do with majority of customers. Thus, the shopper will be able to see and feel the real scenario at the restaurant, which he will report back to the owner by filling up the questionnaire. Along with the questionnaire, he has to write a report on his experience at the restaurant. Based on this information, the owner will take corrective actions for his business.

A person having some specific attributes might prove himself to be good at restaurant mystery shopping . To determine whether you have special ability in this field, you can ask these following questions to yourself.

• Do you like to dine out?
• While dining out, do you notice the attitude of the restaurant staffs?
• Do you feel comfortable to ask questions to the waitress?
• Would you like to visit the restrooms just to check their condition?
• Would you prefer to be served in a timely manner?
• Do you like to eat warm and fresh food?
• Do you think yourself capable for performing this difficult work?

 

If the answers to all these questions are yes, then you can probably become successful at restaurant mystery shopping . Being a restaurant shopper, you will be able to dine out at your favorite restaurant with your family or friends at free of cost. In addition to this, you might be reimbursed for the transportation cost. However, to start your career as a restaurant specialist, you must have some experience of normal shopping jobs. This will give you more confidence and skill to work on your critical assignments and bring out successful results out of it. There are many shopping organization, which only work in this field of industry. So, you might enroll for these companies, to have your first experience of restaurant shopping.

Mystery Secret Shoppers

Tweet This Post 

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/secretsh/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

Special shopping, anonymous shopping, shadow shopping or any other name you give to the procedure it will mean judgment of the service quality of a service provider whose business is all about keeping people happy. Restaurants, furniture storage and hotels also fall into this group of industry and restaurant mystery shopping provides the ideal method of getting to know about the condition of the establishments as far as the level of client satisfaction goes. It is not very different from any other special shopping programs and the only difference lies in the fact that you do not bring home the product but you get the service on the spot.

The restaurants deal with diners, who are their customers, and the food they are served, but food in not only the point that the diners look for when they go to a restaurant. This is what restaurant mystery shopping is all about. They judge the most precious thing that the restaurants have and that is their service. This is as important as the taste of food that they serve as the two together makes one restaurant different from another. So it will not surprise you that the restaurants take special care to keep their service and food of the highest quality and are on their tip toes to see that the standard never falls. Measurement of this standard is done by the special shopping method.

There are some very important questions that need to be answered almost as a daily routine or check list. It relates to the guests satisfaction level that possibly prevailed that time. If the rate of satisfaction is good enough, you are lucky and the restaurant will go on. But in case the result goes the other way, then it is a matter of grave concern and the owner must immediately take steps to live up to the accepted industry standards. This is the time when restaurant mystery shopping comes to the rescue of the investors in such properties. Such shopping takes note of everything from the ambiance, service, food and also the promptness, alertness and overall behavior of the staff.

A typical questionnaire for restaurant mystery shopping would start from recording the accessibility of the place. The shopper will also have to report on the general appearance of the place and the first impression. The next part in any restaurant is the host or hostess who ushers in the diner. This person is the one who will represent the company or the restaurant and will act as owners representative. Hence he or she will be under constant scrutiny of the shoppers. This person is also responsible for guiding the diner through the various offerings on the menu and helps them to choose them without getting confused. Next remains surveying the interiors and the rest room to find how clean they are.

Then comes the food, the second part that the shopper in a restaurant mystery shopping will gladly examine and watch. The timing between placing the order and arrival of the food is major point that needs to be noted. This food is then to be noted. The shopper should check whether the food that is meant to be hot is such and the cold food is cold enough to be palatable. The final question that usually accompanies all the questionnaires is whether the shopper would come back to the establishment if opportunity arises. This is the one single question from where the analysis actually begins.
 
Paid Shopper

Tweet This Post