[editor's note: Recently, one of our mystery shoppers visited the restaurant of one of our clients. This was NOT an official assignment. Nonetheless, this shopper voluntarily contacted us afterwards to let us know how the visit went, and to offer insights on a pricing/portion discrepancy they perceived.

That's the power of mystery shopping. Constructive feedback from great people. Thank you to all of our excellent mystery shoppers, particularly C&M...]

My family went to your client’s restaurant with our church group this past Sunday afternoon.  

First, they need to know that Elizabeth did a FANTASTIC job keeping up with the entire second floor. We were a group of 10, there was another group of 5 in the front room with us, and several other tables of 4's and 5's.

She was the only one working the upstairs, and though she did get some help when some orders came out, she handled most everything on her own. Drinks stayed full and she delivered our meals without auctioning them off to us. A manager did stop by to make sure everything was OK.

The reason for this email is that my wife and I are both quite disappointed in the kid's "Chicken Finger" meal. For the price we paid, we do not feel we were getting our money's worth. There was not a whole lot of food in that entrée. My son, who is not a big eater, asked for more and we had to place another order.

During a visit here about a month ago, our son had also ordered the kid's Chicken Finger meal and was also given a rather small portion of meat and the side. We thought it was just a fluke and really didn't think anything of it. With this visit, seeing the same serving size, we were disappointed.

The other meals on the kid's menu seem to be priced well, as our son has ordered the corn dog and the grilled cheese before. And our adult meals and our drinks are a GREAT value for the money. We're just surprised by this one item. 

Thanks for listening. Please let me know if there are any additional details I can provide. 

Ziggy has the feature article in this month's Alert Magazine...a short summary is available on our parent site.

by Colleen

It was a gorgeous day as Ryan and I performed a bartender evaluation for one of our restaurant clients.  The cocktails, appetizers, and company were truly stupendous, and I found the service exceptionally friendly and effective.

As we were leaving the restaurant, I exclaimed, “That shop was great! I loved our server.”

Ryan (a Marketing Endeavors veteran) looked at me, shook his head in amusement, and responded, “Colleen, she didn’t even card you.”

This was a while back when I had only been with ME for a couple of months.

Before working with ME, I was excited about being 23 and not being asked for identification.

To me, it was a welcome oversight, as it saved me the hassle of digging through my purse for my driver’s license.

But what customers find convenient and what clients find acceptable are sometimes very different things.

A bartender neglecting to card a 20-something is HUGE. The restaurant risked losing their liquor license and being hit with a multitude of fees.

That’s when I realized how important our job really is…and how many factors go into customer service.

It’s not merely about meeting the customer’s needs; it’s also about employees implementing their company’s values into everything they do.

The servers and bartenders of the world can’t just smile, deliver food, and hope for success. Their jobs are about knowing how to balance personality with company values.

When this is done effectively, customer service becomes an unstoppable force.

Mystery shopping has a powerful halo effect on employees: by measuring a staff’s sales skills on just a few interactions, we are able to improve service on many interactions.

I witnessed this effect first-hand recently. We have a new restaurant client, and I’ve been eating there for years.  

From past visits, I know that the staff of this restaurant is very friendly, but also laidback and somewhat hands-off when it comes to suggestive selling. The service is always decent, but not noteworthy.

But their new mystery shopping program has really changed things!

On my recent visit (for pleasure, not business), our server introduced herself to us, made recommendations for appetizers and desserts, and made an effort to check on us often.

I can’t remember ever seeing a manager in the past, and not only was there a manager circulating throughout the restaurant, but she even stopped by our table to check on us.

The atmosphere was more energized and the servers were on their toes and alert. Every employee was focused on the customers.

And these changes are noticeable after only two weeks of mystery shopping.

I don’t consider myself a typical customer (I’m cursed with knowing too much about customer service), but their typical customer will certainly reap the benefits of improved service brought on by their mystery shopping program.

And as we’ve argued on our parent site, cheaper things usually end up being more expensive!

It’s worth saying again: cheaper things usually end up being more expensive!

When you consider the drop in quality and all of the unexpected additional costs that occur from having a cut-rate provider, it becomes clear that businesses are better off going with a proven, high-quality mystery shopping firm that features a dedicated, in-house team that's going to provide superior service.

And if you've suffered through inferior companies that outsource the bulk of your shopping program, you know exactly how frustrating it can be.

Stop suffering. We're ready to change your opinion about mystery shopping companies.