Mystery Shopper! You Could Be Sitting Next to One And Not Even Know It!

People are often fascinated when I tell them that I have done mystery shopping. Naturally, the first question is, "What kind of mystery are you shopping for?" No, no, no, "Mystery Shopping" is the term used for those of us who prepare a guide sheet of what kind of information the client wants to discover about his or her (often remote) business by the service providers hired by the company. And so I'll ask my daughter or a good friend to go to lunch... or dinner... or shopping for a chest or couch.

As we enter the location (for the sake of this text, let's assume we're shopping the bar at an upscale restaurant), I am observing EVERYTHING, because EVERYTHING is important in overall customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction is important in repeat customers, necessary for a business to grow and thrive. Here's a list of what I am noting mentally:

The time: 11:35 a.m. There is no waiting line.
Greeting: We are greeted immediately upon entering; hostess (young black female, long hair in ponytail, appropriately dressed in white blouse and black skirt, no name tag) introduces herself, asking where we'd like to sit. We tell her we'd like to sit in the bar and she directs us to the bar area. We take seats that allow us to observe the entire bar area. We are seated at 11:37. Patrons in the bar: 3 tables of 2 patrons each, 4 additional customers seated alone at the bar, and us at a high top. Two tables have dishes remaining but the customers have left. One TV is tuned to CNN, the other to ESPN. Lone customers at the bar are watching baseball.

The barkeep (young blonde male with curly hair and green eyes, name tag "Jon") greets us in 2 minutes, placing cocktail napkins and water before us, asks if he can take our order. At 11:41, I order a Margarita, on the rocks, shaken not stirred (shaken is smoother and you can tell if this is done by the "head" on the drink), with salt. My friend orders a Bud Light. (Here I make a note that the bartender does not offer premium liquor for my margarita. He could have offered Cuervo Gold or some premium call-brand and that would have increased the cost of the drink from $2 to $4, depending on the establishment. Upgrading drinks is a major money maker for bars and they strongly encourage their bartenders to do it.) Both drinks are delivered at 11:45, properly rung up.

I observe the other tables; the cleanliness of the restaurant; do other patrons seem to be happy with their meals? How are any issues handled? Are there members of management on the floor? Do I note any drinks being delivered but not rung on the register? Are tips being taken from the cash drawer? Is my drink properly prepared and served promptly? How long before he returns to see if we wish to order a meal?

At 11:57, we signal the bartender and ask for a lunch menu. Five minutes later (12:02), we place our orders. I order the Grilled Chicken Sandwich plate with onion rings instead of fries and ranch dressing on the side. My friend orders a Chef salad, no cucumbers, with light Italian dressing.

While we wait, I visit the ladies' room, which is well stocked but wet paper towels are strown over the floor (probably 12 to 15 of them) instead of in the trash receptacle. One sink has a faucet that won't turn completely off (water continually runs), and the mirror needs cleaning. I note from the schedule on the door that the bathroom hasn't been checked since 10 a.m. (no initials by 11 a.m. or noon). I return to our table and await the delivery of our food, all the while observing everything around me in the restaurant and bar.

At one table the patrons are very loud and obnoxious, talking too loud and cursing ("I'm not 'effing' disrespecting you"); other diners seem to be quite anxious to leave. No member of management or floor staff have approached to request they be a bit quieter. It gets irritating enough that we ask to change tables, which we do by picking up our drinks and moving to the other side of the room. The bartender wipes our first table and brings us flatware. Our food is delivered (by a young, dark-haired man, slim and rather tall, no name tag) at 12:21. My chicken sandwich and onion rings are well prepared and properly served (hot), but he has forgotten the ranch dressing. Laurie's salad has the cucumbers on it, but otherwise looks good, with plenty of bacon, ham, eggs and cheese. The salad vegetables look fresh. The bartender/waiter does not check back until 12:35 p.m. to see whether we needed anything. (Remember, he has forgotten my side of Ranch dressing, and there is no salt or pepper on the table.)

We finish our meals and request our check. Since we first entered the bar, several more tables have filled, and there is currently only one table available. A waiter (male, short, red hair) is helping the bartender take lunch orders. We wait a full 10 minutes before the check is presented. The check is correct, and we pay with cash. Correct change is returned and we leave a 15% tip.

As we exit the restaurant, I note that there appears to be an apron thrown under a bench in the lobby wait area, and the parking lot is littered. We exit the restaurant at 1:07 p.m. This lunch shop--which should have been done in about an hour--took more than 1 1/2 hours.

So... did you note the things that were done wrong? Let's recap:

RIGHT:
We were greeted immediately; our drink orders were taken and filled properly and promptly; the drinks were rung up properly; our lunch order was placed and our check was correct. The food was good, served properly and promptly.

WRONG:
First, the tables should have been promptly cleared in the bar area rather that sitting with dirty dishes. The bartender did not offer to upgrade to premium liquor. He didn't offer a lunch menu, we had to ask. He didn't ensure the orders were correct before bringing them to the table (no cucumbers, ranch dressing). He didn't check back in a minute or two to see if our orders were alright (but waited 14 minutes). When we requested the check, it was not presented for 10 minutes.

Also wrong: someone (management, perhaps) should have dealt with the loud bar customers; the lobby area should have been clear of clutter (apron under bench), the bathroom mirror should have been cleaned, and the bathroom checked for trash at both 11 o'clock and noon. The parking lot should have no litter. The bathroom sink faucet needs repair.

So I immediately go home and write up my report.

Such is the life of a mystery shopper. If you're particular about customer satisfaction, then maybe you should consider becoming a mystery shopper. During each shop, I always learn something, and it can be fun.

Next, I'm looking to get a CRUISE shop or a RESORT shop... or a BUNCH of them!!!!